


The Middle of Impossibility

by NyxEtoile, OlivesAwl



Series: Tales From the Tower: The Next Generation [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Light Angst, POV Alternating, Star-crossed, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-07-02 00:01:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 56,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15784842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyxEtoile/pseuds/NyxEtoile, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OlivesAwl/pseuds/OlivesAwl
Summary: Nate watched her a moment. "So, see anyone you like?”Eshe was tempted to give him the murder face. “Are you shitting me?”He chuckled, hand settling on her hip. "I'm a terrible wingman, aren't I?”“The worst.”"Are you going to fire me?”“No way. I am all dressed up and you’re contractually obligated to get me some ass tonight.”He studied her over the rim of his glass. "I will take this job very seriously."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! A new story!
> 
> Here's Nate and Eshe's story. It spans some of Defying Gravity and will involve elements of Ragnarok as well.

The most prestigious position for a member of the Dora Milaje was to be on the King’s personal guard. It was a status symbol, of course, but it was also not a hard job. For one, there were a lot of women doing it. And, honestly, King T’Challa could win a bar fight with bear.

When Eshe had been given her official assignment after completing her training, she’d been vaguely offended. Following a ten year old around was neither glamorous nor challenging. But Prince Azari was the heir presumptive to the throne, and she soon came to realize it was an act of confidence. Plus, his mother had insisted a Dora who was “normal” looking be dug up.

Hard as she tried, Eshe could not manufacture the kind of Resting Bitch Face that made most of her colleagues so intimidating. But His Highness had taken a liking to her, so much that when he went abroad for University, she went along.

Suddenly her job was more challenging than she imagined. Guarding an 18-year-old running lose in London with an abundance of money and not nearly enough sense had been. . . well, challenging was a woefully inadequate word.

Right now, for example, they were flying to New York City just to attend a party.

It was giving Eshe indigestion, as there was no culture she could think of (aside, probably, from South Africa) that treated people of African ancestry worse than the United States. The only thing that made her feel slightly better was that they were staying in a _highly_ secure building that conveniently also had several floors full of Avengers living beneath them.

She looked over at her charge, sitting across the aisle from her in their private jet. It was possible, of course, the cost wasn’t worth the safety. “You sure you want to do this, Azi?”

He looked up from his book. In private, their relationship was as casual as any two people who’d spent every day with each other for 11 years. “She is my best friend, and she asked for my help.”

“That isn’t an answer.”

“I can handle it. I promise.”

She watched him a moment as he went back to his book. She sure as hell hoped so. She did not have the time or energy for refereeing any kind of drama.

Their jet was too big to land in the Tower’s hangar, so they landed at a regular airport and took the car that was waiting for them. Princes never waited for anything, except perhaps their King.

As they crawled through city traffic, she texted Vision, who was effectively Ada’s bodyguard and Eshe considered him an honorary Dora Milaje. He wasn’t even really a “he” anyway. _We’re inbound. ETA 10 minutes pending your city’s crazy drivers._

Ada Banner had a bodyguard, despite also having an Iron Man suit, because it was a national security risk for her not to. The Prince loved her, and so she was a weakness. Vision spared Eshe’s boss from having to explain to Ada—and her parents—why she had to have a Dora.

The Tower loomed into view, as tall and flashy as it was on television. It would have made her nervous had she not known it could withstand an assault from just about anything. Her phone buzzed and she glanced down at Vision's reply. _We have an apartment set up for you. I have convinced Ms. Ada to wait for his Highness there, to avoid a scene in the lobby. You may pull into the underground garage and take the elevator up._

_You are my favorite person._

_I am not a person, but thank you._

_You are my favorite Sentient Android,_ she replied. She liked Vision for his sense of precision.

_Thank you._

The driver punched in the code at the garage and the car drove in, parking near the elevator bank. He got out to help with the bags. "The door with the A on it goes up to the residential floors. FRIDAY will let you up.”

The elevator took them up. When the door opened, Ada was literally right on the other side of it, bouncing on her toes. With a shriek of "Azi!" she launched herself at him, rocking him back on his heels.

Eshe had really hoped to get out of the elevator first. She nudged Azi, who picked Ada up and staggered into the hallway. Then she could drag their bags out. Sometimes she really wished they traveled with more staff. 

Vision stepped out of a door to their left, to help her with the bags. "Shall I show you your room?”

“Please do, it’s been a long flight,” Eshe said.

They left the two of them giggling and talking over each other in the hallway, and Vision lead her to the back of the apartment. "This is your room," he told her, opening one door. "His Highness may sleep in the room to the left.”

Eshe sighed and shoved her bags in her room. “Thank you,” she said, then added, “It’s good to see you, how’s New York been?”

"I have no complaints. Ms. Ada enjoys her studies and her work with the team. Several members have taken mentorship roles with her, to my relief. I admit I occasionally miss the societal atmosphere of Wakanda.”

“Not as lively here?”

"Not as . . . nonchalant here. America still clings to some outdated and occasionally exasperating social mores.”

“I noticed the pants,” she replied. He was currently dressed very. . . ‘American Dude’, despite the fact he didn’t consider himself particularly male. He was usually more inclined to wear a dress than Eshe was, to be honest.

He glanced down at himself. "Indeed. I've become more accustomed to them. But they are still not my preference.”

“Well, they look good. If that helps.”

He smiled. "It does, thank you. Do you need anything? Refreshment after your journey?”

“Some American junk food sounds delicious.”

"We have an entire cabinet worth.”

Eshe kept herself in peak physical condition, as did all Dora Milaje. Usually that also meant eating a nutrient dense diet. And she usually did. But she had a real soft spot for some of the terrible, horrible things found in American convenience stores. Vision had clearly stocked up for her. Even Ada didn’t eat Twinkies.

"The fridge is also fully stocked," Vision assured her.

“Thanks. I noticed Ada’s hair was already done up. I assume there is a gym somewhere in this building—do I have time to use it before we have to go?”

"There are several, and we still have a few hours. I will see about getting you access to the team gym. The equipment there is calibrated for superhuman strength.”

It was a very nice gym, much larger than you would expect given the small number of people who used it—but then they were warriors. It was also empty. She was happy to find free weights. Back home there were lots of fancy machines, but since she'd been traveling with his highness, she’d developed a fondness for just lifting heavy things. Because of the powered individuals, they had some very heavy weights indeed.

Eshe warmed up with some mid level bars, then moved to the more challenging ones, watching herself in the mirror to keep an eye on her form. FRIDAY was capable of playing any music in the world and had helpfully worked up a list of loud Wakandan battle songs to keep her pumped up.

It made her think of training drills back home. All of her girls, blasting a good beat and pushing their limits. Her current duty was prestigious. But it was also lonely as hell. Company would just be. . .nice.

“Hello, random woman who’s in our gym.”

She turned enough to see the white dude standing in the gym doorway. Goddess, that was not the sort of company she’d been thinking about. She put her bar down with a thump, then reached for the dumbbell rack, tossing a 50 kilo weight from one hand to the other. Just because. “Well, I’m not going to use the baby equipment in the public gym.” She assumed there was a public gym somewhere in the building, and it had shitty weights.

He tilted his head. "Random _Wakandan_ woman in our gym. I'm starting to think I missed a memo. Which is, like, impossible, but here we are.”

“There wasn’t a memo. I didn’t share the schedule with. . . whomever you were expecting to send you a memo.”

"Mmm." He stepped forward. "I'm Nate. Nate Richards.”

She’d figured he was one of the Avengers. One of the ones who wore helmets or masks, clearly, because she knew the public faces. “Eshe, of the Dora Milaje.”

"Nice to meet you. You're staying in the Tower?”

“Prince Azari has come to New York to be Ada Banner’s date to your Met Gala. I go where he goes.”

His brows went up. "The prince huh? He's Ada's age, right? They grew up together?”

“Yes. She has offered us to stay here. Which makes me happy—most secure building I’ve had him in in years.”

He grinned. "Yeah, we do like our security around here." He nodded and wandered over to the treadmills. "Well, don't let me disturb you further.”

She watched him. “Those things are a western invention I find very odd.”

"'Cause you come from a country in which the weather is always pretty nice," he said, pushing buttons on said machine. "Between snow, heat, and floods of tourists outdoor running opportunities around here are pretty slim.”

“Spoken like a person who’s never run ten miles at 104 degrees and 98% humidity.” She shrugged. “Running is running. One should cover distance.” She looked him up and down. “You carry significant muscle mass and not a lot of body fat. Cardio for cardio’s sake is likely counterproductive.”

He shrugged in return and stepped onto the treadmill. "I like running. I like the treadmill. I can zone out, not pay attention to anything. It's nice.”

She went back to her weights. “Granted, better you do that on a stationary machine than the road.”

"That's my feeling as well.”

“Do we need to tussle about the music?” Most American music was terrible. 

"Nah. I have my own feed.”

She went back to her workout, but it was nearly impossible to concentrate. Having a stranger behind her just. . . unnerved her. It didn't seem to bother Nate any. He did as he promised, zoning out on the treadmill as he ran. The machine had a little screen in front of it that appeared to be playing a movie of a landscape. As if watching hills roll by was the same as being in them.

Someone needed to take him to an actual landscape.

“Pardon me, ma’am,” FRIDAY said. “Limo pick-up for the gala is in 30 minutes.”

Eshe looked up at the ceiling. “Got it, thanks.”

"Duty calls?" Nate asked as she put her weights back.

“So it would seem. I’m never off.” She inclined her head. “It was nice to meet you."

"You too. See you around.”

She needed to run if she was going to shower. It was going to be a long night.

*

In years past, Nate had brought a girl to the Met Gala. It was a pretty easy way to have a date with some fashion model or starlet who was out of even his league. This year he just didn’t feel like it. Cassie hadn’t brought anyone either, and so they sort of ended up each other’s dates.

Ada and her prince were going up the red carpet stairs ahead of them. The cameras were very distracted by her enormous, elaborate dress, and his colorful Wakandan formalwear. Off to the side, watching unobtrusively, was the Dora Milaje he’d met in the gym. She was wearing a black dress that looked painted on, and big gold hoop earrings.

_Your heart rate is elevated,_ Hiro, his AI, told him. To him it sounded like a voice, but no one else could hear it. Like an auditory HUD. He had cybernetic implants in his brain, wired (among other things) into his cochlear nerve. No one ever heard Hiro but him.

_Do I need to give you the birds and the bees talk again, buddy?_ It did make him aware he was probably staring, so he made a point of looking elsewhere.

“My dress is itchy,” Cassie muttered from beside him.

He glanced down at her. Much as he and the guys might complain about their monkey suits, the contraptions the girls came in were way worse. “I’m sorry. I’d offer to trade, but I’m really more of a winter.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

Of course she didn’t. “It’s not important.” He glanced over at the Dora again. “I’m still impressed Ada managed to snag a prince as a date.”

“They’ve been friends since they were little kids. She says he speaks her language.”

“That’s always nice to find.” Especially when your language was as specific as Ada’s was. She’d always reminded him a bit of his little brother, so he had a certain amount of protective affection for her.

“Logic says they should be like us. In that I’d rather have my eyeballs removed than see you naked. But I think there’s kind of a. . .” She waved her hands around. “Vibe.”

“Yeah,” he said slowly, glad he wasn’t the only one to notice. “She’s more. . . girly when he’s around.”

“There’s nothing wrong with not being ‘girly’.”

“No, I know, that’s not what I meant.” Ada was actually pretty decent blend of gender stereotypes. She owned a wrench with purple glitter stickers. “I mean. . . she giggles and tosses her hair back. Like when someone in a movie is trying to act ‘girly.’” He did finger quotes for emphasis.

Cassie chuckled as they started up the stairs. “I think that’s called flirting, Nate.”

“Probably why it’s kind of disturbing when she does it.”

“Though, I don’t know. He doesn’t wear loafers.”

He laughed. “He doesn’t fit either of her preferred types, does he?” Tilting his head he added, “Maybe that’s why.”

“It amuses me they’re obvious to you.”

_Because I am good at pattern analysis,_ Hiro told him. _Cassie has a type, too._

“Hiro tells me secrets,” Nate told her. “Want to know what your type is?”

_Unreliable bad-boys who wear leather jackets and are statistically more likely to die of liver or lung cancer,_ Hiro told him before she could reply.

_Yeah, she probably knows that._ They reached the top of the stairs, which was the end of the reporter and camera gauntlet, and slipped into the museum proper. People were swarming Peter and MJ up ahead of them. “There’s gonna be a lot of pictures of them online tomorrow.”

“They’re adorable and they make a nice story.”

And it was about as happy as Peter had ever been. “She’s good for him.”

Cassie bumped his shoulder. “You doing okay?”

“I think so. It kind of sucks to lose my wingman.” Peter had clearly made an effort to make time for him, but Nate understood the allure of new romance. And knew how much MJ meant to Pete. “But I’m happy for him. He deserves a second chance.”

“You’re a good guy, you know that?”

“That is what it says on my business card.”

The Met Gala was very fancy, but very staid. The highlight of the evening, really, was the Wakandan wine that Azi had smuggled in. Nate only had a little bit. 

_You are not, technically, enhanced,_ Hiro reminded him. Nate shushed him.

There was dancing after dinner and he and Cassie took a few rounds, before she rejoined Kate at their table to gossip. Nate made his way to the bar for a less potent drink.

“They’re appallingly watered down,” said a lilting, accented voice to his left. He turned and saw his new friend from the gym—in the slinky black dress—leaning against the bar and watching the room.

“Yeah, I’m not surprised.” He ordered a scotch, anyway and turned to lean next to her. “Azi has Wakandan stuff, if you’re interested.”

“I noticed. I had to remind him it’s not legal for Ada to have or drink it here, because your country is dumb.”

He lifted his glance. “On that we agree.”

“They’re good kids,” she said. “Most of the time. I try not to snitch on them too much. But they sure do get in a lot of trouble.”

“I can only imagine.” He paused and sipped his drink. “Do they have prom in Wakanda? School dances?”

“Not really. There are a lot of big public festivals, and children participate in those.”

“For us it’s kind of a right of passage, prom is. A time to be naughty without parental supervision. I know Ada didn’t get one. A lot of the team didn’t. I think this kind of replaces it.”

She sighed a weary sigh. “God, I hope they’re not naughty tonight.”

Ada and Azi were on one side of the dance floor, swaying, heads together, clearly whispering. “I think they might be.”

“As I said. Hope. Not the sort of thing that’s ever useful in forestalling disaster.”

It occurred to him she was probably an excellent font of gossip. “So they do have some sort of thing?”

She glanced over at him. “I don’t police what he does behind closed doors.”

“That’s a very diplomatic answer.”

“Boundaries are important.” She watched them, then looked over at Nate. “You ever do something foolish but romantic and get a broken heart for your trouble?”

“You’ve described at least two of my summers in high school.”

She grinned. “Did you learn anything?”

“Far more than I did in school,” he replied, with his own grin.

“Do you still do foolish things?”

“No. I think I’m the unofficial dad of the group. I’m mostly level headed now.”

She smirked. “Mostly?”

He was clearly getting dense in his dotage, because that was the exact moment he realized she was actually flirting back with him. He grinned and sipped his drink. “There are always exceptions.”

It was a great time for his phone to start beeping. _It’s Peter,_ Hiro told him helpfully.

_Seriously? What does he want?_

_A discreet back door. I assume he and his girlfriend are sneaking out. They really can’t keep it in their pants until the end of the party?_

Stifling a sigh, he reached in his pocket for his phone. “Excuse me one second,” he said out loud before glancing down at Peter’s message requesting a back door exit. _Got anything for him?_ his asked his AI.

_Easiest answer is the catering exit through the kitchen. But this is Peter and he’s never easy, so I could also turn the alarms off for him to break out through a fire exit._

Fingers flying, Nate passed this on to Peter. He replied that he wanted a fire exit, and to tell Hiro he was going home to wash his hair.

_You know, I really like MJ’s hair this evening. It was perfectly symmetrical,_ was Hiro’s reply.

Nate could see something across the room catch Eshe’s attention. She downed the rest of her drink, gave him a little wave, and walked off. It occurred to him, as she walked with her fantastic ass, that she didn’t know about Hiro, or the face his friends told him he made indicating when he was talking to him. She probably thought he was just the sort of rude asshole who stopped in the middle of a conversation to answer his text messages.

Hiro was now supplying him with maps to the museum and he took the opportunity to bitch at Peter for cockblocking him while he figured out their best route. He sent him to the American Wing and was slightly mollified by the offer of Scotch. He put Hiro on alarm duty and waited for Pete’s signal.

He offered bottles of expensive alcohol as thanks.

After wishing him good sex and making sure Hiro had put the alarms back on, he ordered another drink and scanned the room for Eshe.

She was nowhere to be found, and Ada and Azi were gone, too. 

Sighing, he knocked back his drink. Wyatt and Kate appeared to be long gone, too. Maybe he should be boring and call it a night.


	2. Chapter 2

For a little bit he debated hanging around, maybe going to one of the after parties, finding a girl. But he just wasn’t in the mood. So he went back to the tower, in a cab because he didn’t care if his picture was taken.

_This is really boring,_ Hiro told him.

_I’m sorry I can’t be more entertaining for you, buddy._

_I think it’s because you’re getting old._

_Thinking of leaving me for a younger host?_

There was a noticeable pause. _Was that an option?_

_I’m pretty sure it would lobotomize me if we tried._

_I’ll keep that in mind._

The cab dropped him off in front of the west lobby doors. It was pretty deserted inside, but when he reached the elevator banks, he saw Eshe approaching from the other side, holding two large bags of what looked like Chinese takeout. His brows went up. "Hey. Need a hand?”

She looked down at her bags. “Would Americans consider these heavy?”

"Probably not. It's just a polite thing to say when you see someone carrying things.”

“I do not need assistance carrying my dinner, thank you.” She sounded sincere.

“All right.” The elevator doors slid open and he stepped in, assuming she wasn’t the kind of person who liked people at her back. She stepped in next to him and ha glanced at the bags again. “Lovebirds had enough of the party?”

“The Prince was hungry—I don’t blame him, the food was wholly inadequate. Ada wanted to take him get Philly Cheese Steaks. Which for some reason needed to come from New Jersey. I talked them into her going and getting them in her suit, and bringing them to eat here.”

“At least she didn’t insist on going to Philly.”

“She brought me one, but it was disgusting. Hence—” She held up her bags, which smelled really good, if he was honest.

“That smells a lot more appetizing than the stuff at the gala,” he admitted. It was from Amazing Wok, too. FRIDAY had probably told her where to go.

The elevator door opened on his his floor, and then said, “I was going to go eat in the common room that Ada showed me. Would you like to share some of this?”

_Say yes,_ Hiro told him, like he needed the instructions. The polite thing to do was probably to demure, but he was hungry and liked her company. "That would be great. If you're sure.”

“I don’t offer things I don’t mean to offer.” She held out one of the bags. Apparently he could carry one now that he was going to eat some of it. “Western culture is based on a tremendous amount of deception and dishonestly.” 

"Wakandans are more blunt," he conceded, walking down the hall and into the common room with her. "We usually require a certain level of familiarity before dropping the niceties.”

“You consider honesty as being ‘not nice’.” She went to the table and unpacked the bags of enough food to feed an entirely family.

He tilted his head, trying to think of how to explain it. "I think there are lies that are done out of malice and there are lies that are done out of kindness. Truly altruistic people are pretty rare. If someone is inconveniencing themselves on your behalf, it seems polite to offer them an out, even if they don't take it.”

“My people would find it rude to doubt someone’s invitation. You’re doubting their sincerity.”

"Well, in the future, I'll know your offers are always sincere, and won't require a double check.”

She nodded, and arranged the cardboard containers on the table. “In Wakanda we eat out of a communal. . . pile of food? I can’t think of the English word. If there is one. So please help yourself.”

"Thank you." He headed to the kitchenette to grab plates and drinks. "You want a pop?”

She blinked. “Pop what?”

"Oh. Sorry. Soda. Pop is a. . . regionalism.”

Eshe tilted her head. “Because of the sound the can makes when you open it. Yes?”

"I assume so. Though maybe it's 'cause of the bubbles? They came in bottles originally.”

“Bottles would make a sound, too. It’s the release of the built up carbon dioxide.”

"True." He hadn't opened a proper glass bottle in a long time. Though now he sort of wanted to. He waved the Coke he was holding at her. "Want one?”

She reached out her hand for a can. “I am an enormous fan of anything containing an appalling abundance of high fructose corn syrup.”

"I knew we got along for a reason." He sat with her and piled some chow mein on his plate.

“It’s not very nutritious, but sugar is a decent source of lots of calories.”

"Yeah, you must blow through a lot." He reminded himself as the words came out of his mouth that she appreciated honesty. "Kam and the soldiers are the same way.”

“Back home we put butter in and on everything. _Everything_.” 

"Oh, I've had Wakandan food. It was _awesome_.”

That seemed to make her happy. “You’ve been there?”

"Yeah, we all went and visited after the Grownups took over our training. Stayed for a couple weeks to meet the retired members, did some tests with the Wakandan medical people. Got armor and weapons. I've been back a couple times for vacations, but not as much as, say, Kamala.”

“I miss it,” she said. “Seeing the world is nice, but it’s nothing like home.”

“I can see that. I only live a few hundred miles from where I grew up and I miss it.” He twirled chopsticks through his noodles. “If you like home then you always miss it, even if you travel the world.”

“I’m not a fan of London, to be honest. The weather, the atmosphere. . .” She gave a little shudder.

“Not a fan of the cold?” he asked.

“No,” she said succinctly. “But I go where His Highness goes. Including, and perhaps especially, on ridiculous trips like this one.”

“The girls here thought it was rather romantic.”

She chewed a moment. “And now it seems the genie may be out of the bottle.”

He sipped his Coke, watching her. “You disapprove of the relationship?”

“When he is done with his schooling he will go home and begin his training. Which takes years. And then he will have to prepare for the. . .political and management side. It’s very likely he will be King one day. If it goes on, she could have to choose between him and being an Avenger, and he will have to choose between her and his throne. Twenty years ago we had no contact with the outside world, I can’t imagine my people accepting a white American woman as their queen. It’s a clusterfuck from top to bottom. The less involved it gets, the better.”

He hadn't thought of it that way. The expectations on royalty. "Do you think they don't realize that or that they're just ignoring it?”

She rubbed the top of her head, which was shaved and covered with an elaborate tattoo. He had no idea he’d find something like that quite so attractive. “They are both very young.”

"But they are very smart. I'm pretty sure Ada's the smartest human in the building and that's. . . saying something. Azi doesn't strike me as particularly unaware, either. Could be they know full well this is the last time their relationship - or whatever they have - will be simple and they're enjoying it.”

“Have you ever known the human heart to follow orders?”

"No. But sometimes knowing the end, and making the choice that it's worth it, makes it easier.”

“I would not have pegged you for a romantic.”

He grinned. "I'm not. I don't think so. But I've made a lot of mistakes, bigger ones than they're making right now, maybe." He poked his chow mein. "I knew what I was doing, I knew where it would lead. Sometimes life is all about choices.”

“I take it you are referring to your past criminal activity?”

"That's the big one, yeah.” It was easier to be casual about it from a distance. Arrest. Trial. Jail.

“Why did you do it?” Eshe asked.

It had been a long time since he'd had to talk much about his criminal past. Reaching over, her caught a pot sticker with his chop sticks. "My brother is sick. He needed care and equipment my parents couldn't afford.”

“So you stole it?”

"I created an algorithm that would cause rounding errors on transactions over a certain amount of money. I hacked multiple large companies, banks and investment organizations and put the algorithm to work. A few dollars or cents here and there isn't much. But multiplied over dozens of companies and hundreds of transactions a day." He shrugged. "It got him a new wheelchair, helped pay for a special needs school. Even some improvements to our house." He looked at her. "I had a legitimate job fixing and setting up computers. I told my parents business was booming and we needed the money, so they didn't question it.”

She looked. . .offended. “They send you to _jail_ for that?”

"It was, you know, stealing. Though they went easier on me than they could have. Hard to sell 'teen steals to help his crippled brother' to a jury.”

“It’s appalling that you had to do it in the first place. That your country does not take care of its weakest citizens.”

Nate smiled. "Well, there we agree." He stole another potsticker. "Has a happy ending, though. Once the Grownups came Doc started working with Jake. Managed to tweak her serum enough to help him. He's not 100%, but he can walk now, go to regular school. It worked out in the end. Better than if I hadn't done what I did.”

“And now you’re an Avenger.”

"Yes, I am. With a neat suit and a computer in my head.”

She started in on a carton containing some sort of shrimp and noodle dish. “You have a computer in your head?”

"Yeah." He turned his head and pushed some of his hair up, showing her the electrode connection at the base of his skull. "It's how I connect with the suit.”

She leaned over to look at it. “Ada doesn’t have that.”

_Because Ada isn’t as cool as us._ Hiro had been quiet, but he never lacked for opinions.

"'Cause she learned to build her suit from Stark,” he told Eshe. “My suit's different. The army built it, based on scavenged Asgardian and Chitauri tech. It has a neuro connection. They didn’t have a functioning AI until I got involved though. I built on what they had and made one for myself. He helps me run the suit, but because of the implant he’s also in my head all the time. I call him Hiro, it’s from a movie. I built one to help run Peter’s suit, too. He named her Karen.”

“You have a AI in your head all the time?”

“Yes. He’s like a separate voice in my thoughts.”

“Like the Hulk in Dr. Banner’s?”

"Sort of, yeah. Less food opinions.”

_I have plenty of opinions about the food you eat. Those noodles look gross, for example._

“No relevant food opinions,” he said pointedly, glancing up. “I’m told I make a certain face when I’m talking to him.”

“I can see that,” she replied. “It takes a lot to impress me with technology, as I am Wakandan. But that impresses me. And also strikes me as profoundly unethical thing to do to a—how old were you?”

Nate leaned back in his chair and drank his Coke. "Eighteen. They were about to move me from juvenile jail to adult prison. Offered me freedom - sort of - and a check worth five times what I stole. Seemed an easy trade.”

“I too would choose experimental brain surgery over an American prison. Doesn’t make it any less unethical of them to do.”

He remembered the first few weeks when he and the others had finally met and been allowed to talk. There had been a lot of outrage and loudly agreeing with each other when they'd told their stories. "Nothing Ross and his cronies did to any of us was particularly ethical. But we were all desperate or scared or both and we did what they told us.”

She seemed to contemplate her food for a few moments. “Girls are very young when they are chosen to join the Dora Milaje. Around puberty. We’re treated well and always free to quit—though the social and family pressure to not do so is enormous. It’s. . . very early to decide the entire direction of your life.”

"It is," he agreed. Then added gently, "There are some who would call that unethical.”

“Well. We’re advanced, we’re not utopia.”

"I kind of like it," he told her. "Finding a flaw. There's no humanity in perfection.”

“We are a very old tradition. Left over from when Wakandan society was more. . .feudal, I guess is the English word. More backward. It was originally somewhere you’d send your unruly daughters. The ones who wouldn’t make nice, docile wives. I believe European societies used nunneries for a similar purpose.”

"Yeah, they sent the sons to the army." He grinned. "Thought what I hear about the Dora you have some similarities with nunneries.”

“Dora were similarly prohibited from marriage,” she said. “From men, really. In times past, we were supposed to be available for the King to choose a bride from. And they didn’t want us to get pregnant. We can get married now, but that last bit still survives.”

"Do women do that often? Leave to have family?”

She shrugged. “Occasionally Mostly we have relationships with women. Wakandans believe celibacy makes you a poor warrior, so once past the primitive warlord era, girls who were attracted only to men just didn’t—and don’t—sign up. Pairing up internally is very common particularly during training.”

That was a rumor he'd heard a few times and hadn't been sure if it was true or male wishful thinking. It certainly made sense. "There's some historians who'd say you have that in common with the old nunneries as well.”

_It’s probably way hotter with a bunch of women that look like her than a bunch of nuns,_ Hiro piped up. _Would make an awesome porno._

“Your face says you’re picturing some sort of orgy right now.”

He held up his hands. “I cannot control the thoughts of my immature AI.”

_I resent that._

She rolled her eyes. “Wakandans have normal sex, just like Americans. In the overwhelming majority of cases, it involves just two people. Most of my colleagues are in long term relationships, many producing children, which is fine as long as you don’t carry them.”

He shrugged. "People are pervs. Lots of tabloids love to talk abut the wild orgies going on here. 'Cause men and women clearly can't cohabitate.”

“Western tabloids think we are King T’Challa’s harem.”

"We have a tradition here of telling tabloids where to stick it. Maybe you'll get a chance if they hound the lovebirds.”

“The Prince is quite adamant that no one get wind of his. . .personal life. Particularly now. Hence why they are mostly holed up upstairs and I am at loose ends, binging on greasy food.”

"Are you allowed to go out if they're here? Like, on your own?"

“I am. If they are definitely in for the night. I may do what I did in London. Sample the local men.”

Nate choked on his Coke. "Sorry, what?”

“It’s kind of a new thing for me. I am agnostic about the gender of my bedmates, but tradition is entrenched so it’s not something I do back home. So I have a list of traits I’d like to try out.”

He downed the rest of his drink. “Traits?"

“Physical traits. Skin color, hair, eyes, build, interesting features. Etc. The physical variances in multicultural societies is astonishing. I think there are even more in New York than in London.”

"America does like to think we're a melting pot." He dug in the bags for fortune cookies. "That's a very scientific way of approaching sex.”

“I can have anyone I want, aside from the stray racist.” She said that with no ego whatsoever—just a statement of fact. He believed her. “It helps to be methodical about it. Makes it easier to choose. Traits that aren’t immediately obvious are the hardest to select for. Makes it fun hunt. Usually.”

He cracked his cookie open. "What's next on your list?" he asked, honestly curious.

She held her hand out, and he gave her one. “At the moment I’m on body modifications. Tattoos, piercings, that sort of thing. It’s too awkward to try and screen for, but I keep hoping to come across a circumcised penis. Vision told me it’s more likely in the US, or I could try a bar in a Jewish neighborhood.” She cracked open the cookie and popped half in her mouth.

"You should aim for guys slightly older," he offered. "It stopped being trendy around the time I was born. I'm cut by my little brother isn’t."

Her eyes moved over him while she chewed. “Well that’s interesting.”

So that's what it felt like to be prey. He'd never actually been scared and turned on at the same time. "That was not intended as an opening.”

“Pity,” she said with a little sigh, and reached for another cookie.

Damn, he was an idiot. "But if you ever need a wingman, let me know.”

“I don’t know what that is,” she said. She nibbled her cookie and he found himself staring at her mouth.

He cleared his throat. "Someone who goes out hunting with you and gives you an assist if needed.”

Her eyebrows went up. “You want to help me pick up other men?”

"At least go out with you. Most of the gang here doesn't go out much anymore. They're all settling down.”

She seemed to consider that. “And they you would. . .what? Join us?”

He closed his eyes briefly. "No. Probably not. Hopefully pick up my own girl.”

After a moment she nodded. “Okay. Though I am going to add two men at once to my someday list, it sounds like fun.” She stood up. “It’s barely midnight and we’re both dressed up. Let’s go out.”

_Holy shit, did you fall asleep and start dreaming when I wasn’t paying attention._

It took real effort not to glance upwards when he chided Hiro to shut up. “Why not? Pity to let our fancy duds go to waste.”


	3. Chapter 3

“It’s chilly out,” Eshe told him as they made their way downstairs. “We’re taking a cab.”

"Yes, ma'am. You got somewhere you want to go?”

“I assumed finding a place would be a wingman sort of duty. Particularly since you have a computer in your head.”

"I do. Let's flag a cab and I'll see what's got a good crowd tonight." He gestured for her to proceed him to the door.

It was a western custom, so she followed it. Same with letting him open the cab door before her. She was sure there were customs of hers that he would find odd.

He gave the driver an address when they got in. The cab driver gave her a lecherous look—and not the good kind. She returned back what Azi fondly called her Murder Stare. He immediately put his eyes front and she heard Nate chuckle as he settle in the seat next to her. "I can see I won't get to play hero with you tonight.”

She smirked at him. “Did you fail to note what I do for a living?”

"I know, I know. It's the first time someone has outranked ‘superhero.'"

She leaned back in her seat and regarded him. “Intimidated?”

"Seeing as how I don't intend to pick a fight with you. . . why don't we go with, impressed?”

“I find that acceptable.” She liked that her response made him grin. Perhaps his professed disinterest would prove negotiable after all.

The place the cab took them had a very long line out front. She looked at it skeptically when they got out.

Nate caught her arm. "Nah, don't worry. This is where I get to show off." They walked past the line to the front and he waved at the bouncer. "Hey, Jeremy.”

Jeremy greeting him warmly, then looked at Eshe, then back at Nate, and gave him a not-very-discrete thumbs up in approval.

“He did have a tattoo,” she commented, jokingly, once they got inside. She stopped at the coat check to peel hers off and hand it over. She looked back at Nate and he’d stopped, one arm out of his jacket, to stare at her.

Yes, disinterest definitely negotiable.

Nate seemed to shake himself awake before taking his jacket the rest of the way off and handing it to the check. "You look amazing," he told Eshe.

“Thanks,” she said. She did a turn, as if there might be something he’d missed. “You wanna dance?” She asked.

"Absolutely," he said, putting a hand on the small of her back as they headed to the dance floor.

He was a better dancer than she’d have expected. It was too loud out there to talk, but that was alright. They didn’t need to. There were all sorts of conversations you could have without words. The beat of the music was thumping and once she made it obvious it was okay he seemed to have no problem putting hands on her hips or waist to keep her close or help her dodge others. Other men looked at, some might have tried to cut in, but one look at Nate made them change their minds.

The longer they danced, the more they ground against each other, the more their hands wandered, until it was really, officially turning her on. 

She was a bit disappointed when he took a lull between songs to suggest they get a drink. Still, she followed him to the bar, where he ordered a whiskey before gesturing to her for her order. She called to the bartender she’d have the same. Liquor didn’t do much for her unless it was very strong, but it seemed polite.

They tucked themselves into a dark corner to sip their drinks. The whiskey burned a little on the way down and had a pleasant enough flavor. Nate watched her a moment. "So, see anyone you like?”

She was tempted to give him the murder face. “Are you shitting me?”

He chuckled, hand settling on her hip. "I'm a terrible wingman, aren't I?”

She skimmed her hand up his arm. “The worst.”

"Are you going to fire me?”

Eshe took another sip of her whiskey, and watched him do the same. “No way. I am all dressed up and you’re contractually obligated to get me some ass tonight.”

He studied her over the rim of his glass. "I will take this job very seriously.”

She moved closer, so more of their bodies touched. He spread his hand, curving his fingers around her ass. This dress didn’t leave anything to the imagination. “Good to hear. Bonus points if it’s a really good fuck.”

"Well, I don't like to brag, but I can offer you some stellar references if you're interested.”

For some reason, that made her laugh. “Going to text your ex girlfriends for reviews?”

"I maintain good relations with a few for just this sort of thing.”

She reached up to fuss with the buttons on his shirt, her whole body humming with anticipation. Negotiable had moved well into Likely. “You want to dance some more?” she murmured, as quiet as she could over the music.

He bent his head close and said, "In a minute," before closing the distance and kissing her. She made an almost involuntary noise, at the spike of lust and victory. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands cupped her ass. The kiss was messy and deep, the kind that made you wish you were somewhere private.

When he lifted his head he didn't go far. “Taxi?"

“Please,” she whispered, and he took her by the hand, weaving them through the crowd. The line at the coat check seemed interminably long, but finally they were bundled up and in the cab.

There was no privacy, but he reached over and curled a hand over her thigh, a promise and a little bit of possession in the touch. That was okay, she felt a little possessive herself.

They said nothing, just stared at each other, the air in the cab so thick you could feel it. She summoned her professional restraint for the walk across the lobby, and into the private elevator that went to the Avenger floors. He leaned against the opposite wall, and said “Cameras.”

She stayed on her side for the longest seventy floors in the history of the world.

He caught her hand as they stepped out on his floor, all but dragging her down the hall and into his apartment, the door of which magically opened just as they reached it. The perks of having an AI in your head. The door slid shut behind them and he pressed her against it, kissing her again.

She fisted the fabric of his shirt in her hands, fabric tearing and buttons popping. He broke the kiss in surprise, but then she had her hands on his belt and he seemed to decide he didn’t care. He shrugged out of the remains of his shirt, then slid his hands under the hem off her dress, tugging it up. She lifted her arms for him, then went back to the belt, undoing it and pulling it free from the loops while he stroked her breasts. “I want you to fuck me,” she whispered, as if that was not obvious.

The sound he made was mostly a growl. She undid his fly and he shoved them down, kicking them off, before sliding his hands into the waistband of her stockings and cupping her ass, squeezing roughly before shoving them down. It took both of them to get them off—usually she had time to wiggle out of them. This. . .crazy desperation, this was new. She reached blindly, wrapping her hand around his cock, which was as hard has she was wet. The dance had been foreplay.

Nate growled again, finding her mouth in a deep kiss. He shifted, cupping her thighs and lifting her up against the door. It opened her wide and he very deliberately rocked his hips. He slid against, and she gasped out loud. She was always in control of herself. Always aware of the world around her. But not right now. Right now everything was gone and this _was_ the whole world. She didn’t care about anything else. “Goddess, please, please.” 

He nipped at her lip and she felt him rock his hips again, this time sliding into her. He groaned, staying perfectly still for a moment, before pulling back and repeating the motion. She got a hold of his hair, plunging her fingers in and tugging enough she knew he felt it. It made him fuck her harder, which is what she wanted. They kissed again, breaking between them to gasp for air. When it got to be too much, she dropped her head back against the door, feeling the pleasure gather. Her body twisted and tensed, hanging her on an impossible edge, only to push her higher.

"That's it, honey," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her pulse point on her throat. "That's it.”

All her composure shattered, she screamed out of a sheer need to make a sound, to do something as she pulsed and shook, because it was more than she could stand. It swallowed her, this hot, intense orgasm.

His fingers tightened on her and he thrust roughly a few times before burying himself deep and shuddering. She felt the heat of him spread as he came. Somehow they ended up crumpled on the floor in front of the door. She buried her face in his shoulder, whimpering with the small aftershocks. She could remember the last time she came that hard. She kissed his shoulder as she calmed, and whispered, “You are an excellent wingman.”

He laughed, sounding breathless, and gave her a little squeeze. “Thanks."

Eventually she murmured, “This was not how I expected my evening to go when I ordered Chinese food.”

"Life is full of surprises. I was planning a video game binge.”

She straightened, reaching her arms over her head in a stretch. He watched and she let him enjoy it. “Are you doing anything with the rest of your evening?”

"I did not have any plans," he admitted, eyes still roaming her.

“My best suggestion is that we have some water and a snack,” she said, leaning in to kiss him again. “And then fuck a couple more times.” 

"That sounds like a hell of a plan."

*

It was, on balance, the best night of Nate's life. Somewhere around three am they passed out in his bed. He'd been sure she'd be gone when he woke up. Watching Azi was her job and morning meant she was back on the clock. But when Hiro woke him up at eight for his morning work out Eshe was still curled at his side.

He yawned and stretched, resisting the urge to stroke her skin. She had the softest skin he'd ever felt. But she looked peaceful, so he climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweat pants so he could start breakfast.

It wasn’t long after he left the bedroom that she emerged herself; he’d probably woken her. She had nothing on but streaks of the shimmery gold stuff that had been on her skin and was now on his skin. And his sheets. And his carpet.

Casually as anything, she went to the font door to collect her strewn clothes. He enjoyed watching.  
"Coffee?," he asked as she tugged her dress on.

“Is it good coffee?” She asked, coming over to him.

"It is Hawaiian coffee, which Lani swears is second only to Wakandan coffee.”

“Then I will accept your cup.” She came close enough to kiss him, and then they got distracted by that.

When he leaned back, he'd somehow lifted her onto the counter. "You're addictive," he told her.

“I think we just fit. Our needs, our bodies, our chemistry.” She kissed him again. “Makes us like magnets. You know it will be good, so you can’t stop.”

He ran his hand along her legs. "That's an almost romantic way of looking at it.”

“I don’t have a romantic bone in my body.”

It took self control he didn't know he had to not make the inappropriate joke he really wanted to. "If you say so," he said instead, kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he reached to turn off the stove.

A lot of their encounters the night before had been rushed. She was, at times, remarkably impatient. Right now he wanted to take his time. So he stroked his hands up and down her thighs, cupping her hips and letting the kiss grow. 

“Magnets,” she whispered against his mouth, fingertips sliding along his spine.

"It's definitely some sort of unstoppable force," he agreed, brushing his fingertips against her sex. She lifted up for him. He’d never been with a woman that was this strong, or flexible, let alone both. It had really made for a fun night.

“This is better than coffee,” she told him.

He chuckled against her mouth, sliding two fingers inside her. "It's better than just about anything, really.”

She rocked against him, and all he got back was an inarticulate, “Mmm.” His thumb found her clit and pressed, making her shudder. Nate leaned back enough so he could watch her, here in his brightly lit kitchen, as he stroked and teased her. She tipped her head back and gripped the counter. She sucked in a few breaths before saying, “You’ve learned me.”

"I am an excellent student," he told her, trying not to sound smug. "Especially when the subject is interesting.”

She pushed up on her hands, lifting her ass clear off the counter. “Take this stupid dress off. I shouldn’t have put it back on.”

He'd discovered she could be a little bit bossy, which wasn't a bad thing. Clear communication in sex was a feature, not a bug. He yanked her dress up, then his own sweats down, hissing as the cool air hit his cock.

Cupping her hips, he tugged her to the edge of the counter and slid forward. She gasped as he sank into her, arching her back. Maybe next time they’d try slow. For the moment the counter made a somewhat awkward angle, making it hard to move. Without him having to ask, she wrapped her arms and legs around him so he could lift her. Her body clenched tight around him, and it felt so good he very nearly lost his balance. 

He only got as far as the table, which he fortunately hadn't set yet. He laid he down on it and began to move, thrusting into her roughly as he braced himself on his hands on either side of her. She raised her arms over her head, dangling them off the other end of the table and stretching out her whole body for him. The bright sun from the window fell across her, making that body paint shimmer and her dark skin look gilded. She braced a heel on the table so she could rock her self up to meet him. “How do you do this to me?” she whispered, her voice honest and raw and desperate.

He was well beyond words, ducking to kiss her throat, then her breasts. Shifting, he slid a hand under her hips and held her up, changing the angle as he thrust deeper into her. She was right, no one had ever felt quite like this. She gave a few short gasps and a whimper, and then her whole body shook. He could feel her pulsing around him, and on his back her nails bit into his skin. It was far more than he could take. He buried himself, as deep as he could, and let go. Blood roared in his ears and he shuddered with his release.

Afterwards he couldn’t move. He was hunched over his table and he didn’t care. She was still fluttering and making small sounds. Every single time they did this, it was better than the one before.

Pressing a kiss onto her shoulder, he murmured, "You're amazing.”

He could hear the smile in her voice when she said, “You’ve done all the work.” That wasn’t entirely true—one of the rounds last night had included a stellar blow job thanks to her fascination with his lack of a foreskin. Then she’d ridden him until he was the one begging for things. This really was the best sex he’d ever had.

"Magnetism requires two poles," he told her, carefully straightening up. 

Inside his head, he heard Hiro. _Sorry to interrupt. I held off as long as I could._

He stifled a sigh, looking off to the right. "What's up?”

_FRIDAY is bugging me. Ada and Prince Charming want to go out to brunch._

"Ah." He looked back at Eshe. "Your work is calling.”

She sighed. “I’m surprised it lasted that long.” She hopped off the table and bent to retrieve her dress. Her ass really was _fantastic_.

“I’d offer to tag along, but it would almost certainly raise questions.”

She chuckled. “Probably, yes.” She sighed. “We’re flying back to London this afternoon.”

“I know.” He stroked a finger along her cheekbone, not sure what else to say.

_You could ask her to quit her job and live with you forever,_ Hiro suggested.

_Not realistically, no, but thanks for the input._

Eshe grinned. “I see what you mean about the face.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “Thank you for a very fun night.”

“You’re very welcome. If you’re ever in town again, I’d be happy to repeat it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Goodbye, Nate,” she said, and then she waltzed out of his life.

*

The brunch place they wanted to go to had an outdoor line. Only in New York City was being a superhero and/or heir to a throne not sufficient to bump a brunch queue. Eshe did not like loitering around on sidewalks.

Vision offered to come along to help her, because he was a kind and decent android. He was, however, very conspicuous. “I’m concerned about drawing a crowd.”

“Oh,” he said. “I can fix that.” While she watched his skin changed color, like a chameleon. It turned dark brown like hers, then pale like Ada’s, before settling on a shade in between. At least, that’s what she thought he was aiming for. It was a little orange, like a white person in poorly applied self-tanner.

While she was trying to decide how to most politely say that, Ada called out from behind her. “Vis, you look like an Oompa Loompa.”

He blinked and lifted a hand to peer at it. "Ah," he said. "Too much yellow." It rippled again, landing something closer to "ambiguously brown.”

“Neat trick,” Eshe said.

“Can we go?” Ada called. “I’m hungry.”

“I just need my coat,” she replied. And realized, as she said it, that she’d left it downstairs in Nate’s apartment. But it was raining, the kind of cold spring rain this part of the world did. She couldn’t go without. She rubbed her eyes. “Why don’t you guys go down and call up a car from the motor pool? I’ll meet you in the garage.”

Azi tilted his head, looking a little confused. It wasn't like her to send him ahead alone. But he tucked an arm around Ada's waist and nodded. "See you there.”

Vision made a face at her, and she gestured to indicated he should go with them. As soon as the elevator doors closed she dashed over to the fire stairs. “FRIDAY, tell Nate I'm coming down to get my coat.”

His door opened just as she reached it, and he stood there, still only half dressed, with her coat dangling from his finger. "Hello again.”

“Hi, sorry,” she said as she took it. She kissed him because she couldn't resist.

"Off to brunch?" he asked.

“Duty calls.” She had the craziest urge to invite him to come with them. But instead she gave him a little wave and headed back towards the elevator.

The other three were waiting in the car when she got there. They were out on the street and fighting weekend traffic when Ada asked, "How was your night out?”

Eshe was grateful she was too dark-skinned for a blush to be obvious. She hadn’t commented on where she’d been, but Ada and Azi had been sitting on the couch playing video games when she walked in still wearing her dress from last night. Wasn’t like she could pretend she’d made an early visit to the gym. “Good. Very good.”

"Oh! Congratulations.”

She laughed a little. “Thank you.”

"I'm glad you're finding things to enjoy in New York.”

That she most certainly was. “Sorry I was so late,” she said, mostly to Azi.

“You are entitled to your private time,” he replied. “I admit I was a little worried. It’s not like you to be out of the building when I’m up and around.”

She hadn’t been. It was why she’d lingered, since she was only just downstairs. Saying so might be opening a can of worms, though. “I overslept. I think it’s the jetlag.”

"We could try to find another bodyguard, if you need more time off," Ada offered. Azi gave her a look which made Eshe think they'd had this conversation already.

She shook her head. “I am happy with my brief encounters. Besides, I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”

"Not even Vis?”

“He’s watching you. I am watching the Prince. Also, we’re going back to London.”

Ada frowned and Azi gave her a rather indulgent kiss on the head. "It's like arguing with a brick wall," he told her. "Just give up."

"I've argued with walls," she grumbled.

At the brunch place, the two of them got in line and she stood on the wet sidewalk with an umbrella watching the street and the crowds. Vision came over to stand with her, and after a moment rolled up one sleeve and held his hand out in front of her. His palm began to glow, radiating heat at her like a miniature space heater. “I mean this in a completely platonic way, but I love you,” she told him.

"You are not the first to say so," he admitted calmly. "I have many utilities.”

She wasn’t built for this climate. “I also appreciate the company.”

He inclined his head. "Your job is generally solitary.”

“I suppose that’s our way,” she replied. She looked over at Ada and Azi. They were under an awning, and he was holding her hands in his and blowing on them to keep them warm. “You remember the first time we caught them kissing? I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”

"You were not the one who had to inform her father.”

“No, but I was the one would be legally obligated to defend that stupid boy from the Hulk.”

"That is a more terrifying prospect.” They stood in silence for a while—they were both like that—and the Vision started, “Not to pry. . .”

“People always say that before they pry,” she replied, and then looked over at him, one eyebrow raised.

“This morning when you weren’t back, I asked FRIDAY where you were, and she told me that you were in the building, on the 68th floor.”

Eshe sighed. “That building is creepy sometimes, you know that?”

"You are not the first to say so," he said. "I would normally not invade your privacy, but given our shared burden of protection, it is wise for me to know where you are.”

“Of course, I understand. I should have been back earlier.” She could see Ada and Azi were near the front of the line now. “Did she tell you whose apartment I was in?”

"She did not. I did not inquire further. It was enough to know you were close and would likely join us shortly.”

“Is this where you tell me sleeping with someone who lives in the building is terrible idea?”

His brows raised. "I am the last person to advise in such matters. You are a consummate professional and a very reasonable woman. If you wish to engage in a liaison with one of the team you are both adults. It's none of my concern.”

“But?”

“But, do be aware that should Miss Ada inquire as to your location, she will likely ask for all the details.”

She didn’t know how she felt about that. Which was silly. She was allowed to sleep with whomever she wanted, that wasn’t an issue. She had no idea why last night felt so. . .private. Like a secret she wanted to keep to herself. “Looks like they’re next to be seated,” she said, pointing.

He nodded and they moved to join the other two at the front of the line. Fame did get them a nice table once they got inside, and they ate at a four-top. Vision didn’t need to eat, but Ada liked the social affair. Eshe had to admit it was fun. Even if it was mostly the three of them going on about science things.

Ada and Vision came with them to the airport that afternoon. Eshe enjoyed the company. 

Once they were in the air, Azi said to her, “They are coming home to Wakanda for the summer. Ada had planned to stay in New York, but changed her mind.”

Eshe looked at him. “You’re going to sneak around under your family’s nose?”

“You make us sound like we’re still teenagers.”

“Simple mathematics, you’re just barely not.”

“We’re both adults. We can have whatever relationship we want now.”

Eshe inclined her head. “And you’ll tell the King?”

He hesitated. “If it comes up.”

“It will probably come up when you take her to the summer festivals, family dinners, etc.”

There was a long pause before he answered. “Then I suppose I’ll have to tell him.”

She let another long pause stretch. “You’ve been in London several years now. And she is American. There are ways in which those cultures are very different from ours.”

Azi arched a brow at her. “Are you implying he’ll forbid me from seeing her and I’ll have to battle him for my honor?”

“I’m reminding you that in the US and the UK, two adults can have whatever relationship they want and nobody can say anything, and that is not true in Wakanda. If he forbids you, the matter is closed.”

“I don’t think Uncle T’Challa is going to do that.”

To his nieces and nephews, to any of the kids who grew up in his orbit, the King was a kind, easy going man. The benevolent ruler of a nation at peace. Like the rest of the Dora Milaje, Eshe had seen first hand that it was a peace held at the tip of a sword—or, well, a claw. He would do anything to protect their people. Including keeping his heir from causing some kind of succession crisis. She supposed Azi would understand soon enough what it meant to be the Black Panther.

She wondered sometimes if the King had ever been a gentle, earnest boy like Azi. She wondered if on the other side of Azi’s training, and of his months in the jungle, if she’d even recognize him. Would Ada?

“I’m only trying to protect you,” she said quietly.

“I know,” he replied, just as quiet. “Believe it or not, I have given this a lot of thought. I even thought about telling her not to come. Or that I wouldn’t be able to see her when she did. But I can’t turn my back on how she makes me feel.”

She sighed a little. “Well. . .maybe sneaking around wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

“We are _exceptionally_ good at it.”


	4. Chapter 4

Nate had a mellow summer that turned quite busy at the end. The Grown Ups who lived in Wakanda decided to move back to the US, which prompted most of those in the Tower to join them in Ithaca. Darcy then re-arranged the apartments. As one of the primary Movers of Heavy Shit, Nate did a lot of hauling.

Vision was one of the other Movers of Heavy Shit, and it was on one of their trips he commented, “Prince Azari is going to be spending a year at Columbia.”

Nate didn’t bother to hide his reaction. “Really? Is he going to be staying in the Tower?”

“Indeed. Up in the penthouse with us.” 

“Well. . . that’ll be interesting.”

Vision shifted the crate he was carrying. “There are four bedrooms up there, but he has requested one of the spare apartments for his bodyguard. She likes her privacy.” 

He blamed his romantic streak for the sudden flush of anticipation he got at that information. “Yeah, I got that vibe from her.”

“Indeed,” Vision replied. He had a world-class poker face, but Nate got the strangest impression he knew.

“I’m sure Ada’s thrilled.”

“She is. She’s been talking about it constantly.”

“Do you have any opinions on their relationship?”

“It is not at all my business to have an opinion on their relationship.”

They set their boxes down and Nate rolled his shoulders in the suit. “Yeah. I guess you’re better at minding your business than the rest of us.”

“If I’m very honest, I don’t have the impulse, so I don’t really understand it. Human desire and why it makes things so. . . messy. None of your other bodily functions or joint physical activities are so infused with drama.”

That he couldn’t argue. “I guess that mix of emotions plus hormones is kind of crazy-making.”

“I have emotions,” he said. “I do not have hormones.”

Despite having built multiple AIs, he’d never given much thought to how Vision worked, at least on that level. Thanks to the stone, Vis was as far above anything Nate had made as they were above an old Casio calculator watch. “So you have. . . affection for Ada and people you consider friends. But no sex drive or anything. Have you ever had romantic feelings?”

He shook his head. “No. Not that I know of.”

“Do you think you’re capable of them?” Nate shook his head. “Sorry, I’m being nosy. You don’t have to answer that.”

“When a ten year old girl, at the dinner table, in front of her parents, loudly asks if you do or do not have a penis, no question afterwards is ever bothersome again.”

He had to laugh. “Ada never had any tact, did she?”

“She has a unique mind,” he said, pride in his voice.

“That she does. She was lucky she got to join this crazy production.” They all were, in Nate’s opinion. Beyond all the trouble with the law and the government oppression, they were all odd or unique in their own way. The equally wild Avengers had understood them and let them flourish in a way their own parents really hadn’t been able to.

“She is part of why I exist. Much of my programming came from JARVIS, who used to be Tony’s Stark’s AI. I am not him, per se, but he is part of me. We survived a very destructive force because of friendship with Ada. I am very glad she was spared the trauma you kids went through.”

Ada was missing the scarred, hard streak the rest of them had. “So am I. It’s good that one of us still has the shiny on them.”

“You have shined up better than most,” Vision noted. “Improbably.”

Nate smiled. “Well, I had good parents. Right up till I became a criminal I was the kind of kid they make CW shows about.”

“Well, you’d certainly be good on some sort of TV show.”

“Despite being a superhero, my life is pretty dull.”

He grinned. “Perhaps soon that will change.”

Oh, yeah. He _definitely_ knew.

A week and a half later, Hiro woke him up in the middle of the night just to tell him, quite solemnly, _She’s here._

Groaning, he buried his head in his pillow. “I didn’t require an announcement.”

_You were dreaming about her._

“It’s creepy when you tell me about my dreams.”

_It’s creepy when you have sex dreams_

Nate sighed. “Sorry, man. I can’t control ‘em.”

_Well. Her plane landed. Now you can have some real sex and not weird dream sex._

“I am not going upstairs and booty calling her. It’s an all day flight from Wakanda, she’s probably tired.”

_Are you going to booty call her tomorrow?_

“I am going to make an effort to say hi tomorrow. If booty happens afterward that would be nice.”

_Fine. Go back to sleep._ He sounded rather put out.

“I’m sorry, did _you_ want to see her?”

_No, I’m just overly interested in your life. I don’t have anything else to do._

Nate stifled another sigh. He had great affection for Hiro most of the time. But having someone else in your head was occasionally really stressful. “Well do something interesting tomorrow.”

_It’s two AM, so technically today._

“Thanks. Everyone loves pedantry at two am.”

Hiro was blissfully quiet then, and Nate fell back asleep. He was even left to wake on his own.

After a run and a shower, he asked FRIDAY if Eshe was in the building.

“She has asked me not to track her location unless it is an emergency.”

Of course she had. “Can you tell me which apartment Darcy assigned her?”

“6102.”

“Thanks.” He momentarily pondered if he should bring her something. A housewarming gift or the like.

_Yeah_ Hiro said. _She really seems the daisies and violets type._

“No, but she is the junk food type.” He rummaged in his cupboards until he found an unopened box of Mac and Cheese and headed down to the sixty first floor.

FRIDAY opened the door for him, having apparently announced his presence in advance. Eshe was in the kitchen, with all of the pots and pans on the counter. She looked up when he came in. “Hello, Nate.”

“Hey, I came to welcome you with unhealthy food.” He shook the box. “Welcome back.”

She laughed. “My passion is for sweets more than general junk food, but I have heard much about the infamous powdered cheese box.” She held out her hand for it. “Thank you.” 

He handed it over. “It’s always good to have in the back of the pantry for emergencies.”

She studied him in that way she had. “How have you been?”

Apparently having sex dreaming about you probably wasn’t the best answer. “Good. Been busy helping with the Great Move.”

“We have been moving as well. I’ve been coordinating logistics and I hate doubling as his secretary. But he won’t hire one.”

“Oh, that sucks. I fully admit if I was a prince I’d need a secretary.”

“He says he wants to keep things simple.” Her mouth quirked. “It’s going to be an interesting year.”

“Nothing in this building is ever simple.”

“Would you like to share a box of powdered cheese noodles for. . .whatever meal might be happening now? I’ve been up all night, so I’m unsure.”

“It will be my lunch if that helps.” He gestured at the pots. “I can take you out if you’re not up for cooking.”

She reached for the box. “I’m on duty. And actually I was just taking inventory.” She flipped it over and read the back. “This needs more butter than I have.” 

“I have more. I can run and get it. Or we can save it and order in.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Is it real butter?”

He paused. “I mean, I didn’t milk the cow myself but it comes in a stick and says butter on it.”

“Well. It’s probably terrible American corn butter, but as long as it’s not a ‘butter spread’ made from vegetable oil, it should do.”

“It’s not margarine, no.”

“Okay. I’ll boil water, go get the butter.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He headed back to his place for the butter and grabbed a couple bottles of pop in case she didn’t have those either.

When he got back to her place most of the pots were put away and one was happily bubbling on the stove. She’d hopped up on her counter and rifled through the spice shelf. He couldn’t help but notice she was wearing very short shorts.

_I’m not even going to comment on your heart rate,_ Hiro told him, apparently obtuse to the fact that that was commenting.

_Not. Helping._ “More inventory or looking for something in particular?” he asked, coming around the island to set the butter on the counter.

“Inventory, and hoping to find something to liven up the Processed Cheese Product.” She picked up the butter, peeling back the paper and swiping up a little to taste. She contemplated the taste with the kind of serious expression people used for wine tasting. He recalled her saying something about her people being really into butter.

“If it’s unacceptable I can show you the farmer’s market on the weekend,” he offered. “I know there’s a couple dairies from upstate who sell stuff there.”

“That sounds more like my speed,” she said. “So are you offering to be my tour guide?”

He grinned widely. “That sounds like a job I can handle.”

“I will be here until May,” she told him. “Thereabouts.” She hopped off the counter to take her macaroni off the stove and drain it. The shorts were better from the back.

“You are going to hate the winter,” he informed her, trying not to stare. Sure, he’d seen her naked, but that was no reason to be rude.

“As much as I hate winter in London,” she said in agreement. “We always went home for the break between semesters, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t next year, since the Banners are here now.”

“It’s even colder in Ithaca. But we could go to Central Park and have a snowball fight. You could probably take my head off.”

“You could hide a decent blade in a ball of snow,” she said, in apparent agreement. She dumped in the cheese powder, butter, and milk, stirring it all together. 

“Big ol’ hunk of ice is traditional.” He leaned close to peer into the pot. “Says the boy who absolutely never did that to kids who made fun of my brother.”

“You can’t decapitate with ice, despite the urban legends.” She traced her finger across his throat. “Takes something more like steel.”

“I tend to use more ballistics, but I will take that under advisement.”

Her mouth quirked, and then she turned back to her mac and cheese, dipping a pinky in to taste it. “It needs. . . lots of things.”

“Yeah, we used to doctor it up a bit. You mind?” He gestured at the pot and her cabinet.

“I trust you,” she replied, licking her finger clean.

He resisted the urge to kiss her and slid past her to rummage for spices. Once they had food he’d try to start the awkward “so what are we doing” conversation. He added pepper, garlic powder and some paprika to the pot and tasted it, then offered it to her. “Try.”

She repeated the motion of dipping her pinky in and sucking the sauce off. “Better.”

Watching her mouth he stifled a groan, “You’re killing me honey.”

Eshe smiled bewitchingly. She was doing this on purpose. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he told her. “But in the fun way.”

“We should probably eat our lunch first.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

She filled up two bowls with macaroni, fished out two spoons, and carried them over to her couch, setting both of them on the coffee table. She gestured at the seat beside her as she picked up her bowl.

He joined her at the couch and picked up his bowl. It really was better with spices added, but he liked a bowl of good-old Kraft now and then. If brought up fond memories of lazy Sundays at home.

She tucked her legs under herself and ate with gusto. “The color of this is alarming, but it is tasty.”

“This was the first thing I learned how to cook for me and my brother. It had fond memories.”

“Comfort foods of childhood.” She grinned. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“You’re very welcome.”

She put her bowl on the coffee table. “Did you come here just to say hello and have lunch?”

“No,” he admitted. Reminding himself she like honesty and bluntness, he continued, “I wanted to see if we’d be continuing our physical relationship while you were here.”

She chewed on her lip. “I shouldn’t, but I want to,” she said, a note of wistfulness in her voice.

“Still making your way through your list?” he asked, sipping his pop.

She skewered him with a look. “You cannot possibly think I’d prefer random sex of indeterminate, possibly poor quality, to the virtual magic we seem to generate.” 

He held up a hand in surrender. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t standing in the way of science.”

“There will be time for science later.”

“Well, then. I guess this will be a very fun school year.”

“This is just sex,” she said, sounding a little stern. “I do not have space in my life for anything else. There will be no strings or expectations or commitments of any kind. I am working 24 hours a day, and you should expect me to either stand you up, or leave in the middle of something, on a semi-regular basis.”

He nodded. “Okay. And, well, ditto. I’m on call all the time and have to drop everything to go superhero more often than I’d like.”

She grinned. “Then we are in agreement.”

“It certainly sounds like it.” He paused. “Do you want to keep it a secret?”

“I don’t think it’s any of anyone’s business, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to lie. But we also don’t know how long it will last, and the less people involved, the less awkward the ending.”

He considered that. “My team is nosy and generally brilliant, so they’re going to notice and get suspicious and ask me questions. I just wanted to know if you needed me to lie or not.”

“I find out you told your poker game what my boobs look like and you’ll never see them again.”

“That seems fair. Believe it or not, none of us are much for the graphic locker room talk.” Especially now that most of them were in serious relationships.

“Pardon me,” FRIDAY said from the ceiling. “His highness and Miss Ada would like to go out for gelato.”

Nate had wondered if a nooner was on the horizon, and ironically wasn’t sure until this particular moment, watching Eshe deflate a little, and sigh in annoyance. Except now she had to go back to work. “Right, thank you, tell him I’ll be right up,” she said, and looked over him. “Speak of the devil.” She stood. “I need to change.”

“If she’s going where I think she is, it’s very good gelato,” he offered.

“I won’t have any, I can’t afford to be distracted by that much sugar.” He honestly couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.

“Maybe we’ll go later, then. After they’re holed up for the night.”

“Later I’m hoping we’ll be busy,” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared into her bedroom.

Grinning to himself, he gathered up their dishes and took them to the kitchen to clean up.

*

Vision convinced Eshe to have a little gelato while they waited for Ada and Azi to finish. He didn’t eat things, but seemed to really enjoy getting other people to eat things, and then asking them about the flavor. She indulged him because they had the conversation in Wakandan. Her English was excellent, but one’s second-language vocabulary was never as detailed and nuanced as the native tongue.

“I do enjoy New York’s dessert profile, I’ll give you that,” she told him, licking the last of her mint-flavored confection off the tiny spoon. “I am going to need to work out more, I can see. Anyone you think could handle a spar with me? Other than you.” Hand to hand combat wasn’t Vision’s forte, despite how strong he was. Though if she had a beam in her forehead that could vaporize things, she’d probably feel the same.

"Kamala has both strength and speed, which might prove a challenge for you. Any of the super soldiers would likely be willing. There are also combat obstacle courses in the basement that are quite popular.”

She tossed her cup in the trash. “On account of a several centuries of Western cultural rules, Rogers and Barnes pull their punches. I expect any American man raised the same will do the same. I will introduce myself to Kamala, thank you.” Nate would probably spar with her, even though she’d almost certainly hurt him—though it was more likely they’d get naked before it got serious.  
"She will appreciate having a woman to spar with.”

Ada and Azi were getting up from their table, and she went to follow them out while Vision got the car. Company really was nice. Maybe she should get a second Dora on his detail when they returned to London.

"I was going to show Azi my labs," Ada said to her as they got in the car. "So you have the rest of the day to yourself.”

“You’ll stay in the building?” She asked, more flummoxed than anything else. Dora Milaje didn’t really. . . _have_ days off. She had no idea what she’d do with one.

"Yeah, no reason to go anywhere. My grocery delivery is today, so I'll cook dinner.”

“It’s New York City,” Azi said. “Go do something fun. Sightsee.”

“Sightsee?” she repeated in her most skeptical voice.

"New York does have several well thought of museums and cultural landmarks," Vision offered.

“I will take that under consideration,” she said.

In the lobby, Ada and Azi got in the penthouse elevator, and Eshe and Vision in one of the others. “I’m going to be in my office running system maintenance,” he told her. “If you need anything, FRIDAY can wake me.”

“Thanks.”

The doors opened on Vision’s floor, and he got out, pausing in the doorway for a second to say, “FRIDAY says Nate is in the common room playing video games.” The doors closed before she could muster some sort of response. Apparently Vision had figured it out.

“Would you like me to change your floor selection?” FRIDAY asked.

Eshe rubbed her forehead. “Yes, thank you.”

The doors opened onto the Avenger common room. Sure enough, Nate was on the couch, holding the controller for one of their game systems, staring at the TV like he wanted to murder it. A pretty girl with warm brown skin and a beautiful orange scarf covering her hair was seated at the table, paperwork spread out in front of her. When she looked up, Eshe smiled at her. “Hi, you must be Kamala.”

“I am,” she said with a smile. “You’re the prince’s bodyguard. Eshe?”

“I am,” she replied. “Vision told me you might be amenable to some hand-to-hand practice.”

“I _would_. It’s rare I get someone I can actually spar with. Though I probably don’t have the same skill you’re used to.”

That made her grin. “Maybe by next summer you will.”

“My husband would probably find that hot.”

She cast a quick glance at the couch, but Nate hadn’t so much as looked up. “He’s welcome to come be a spectator.”

“Eh, we might not get much done, but I’ll float it past him.” She started to gather her papers. “For now I have a date with my daughter and Sesame Street.”

“I was very nice to meet you. Let me know if you’re up for a spar.” 

With a little nod, she tucked her papers up against her chest. “I will be in touch,” she promised before waving at Nate and heading for the elevator.

Eshe waited until the elevator doors closed before turning back towards Nate. “Hi.”

Putting the controller down, he grinned at her. “Hello there.”

She grinned back. “For a moment there I was concerned you were either oblivious or ignoring me.”

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Kam's pretty observant and occasionally freaky-good at sniffing out secrets. I was a little concerned if I made eye contact she'd somehow know about us and I would be dragged away from proper interrogation.”

“That would have been unfortunate.” She came closer, sinking down onto the other end of the couch. “I hope it’s okay I came up here.”

“Of course, I was hoping I’d get to see you again tonight.”

“Ada and Azi are having a day in. He told me to go find something to do, probably because he doesn’t want me lurking in the background. So I am. . .at leisure.” She was still kind fo uncomfortable with that.

Nate tilted his head. “Do you want to go do something?”

She arched an eyebrow. “Are you offering to entertain me today?”

“I could be convinced. It will disrupt my busy day of doing nothing, but. . .”

Unfolding one leg, she poked him with her foot. “You learn a great many methods of persuasion in my line of work.”

“Would I enjoy some of them?”

She shrugged. “Might be fun figuring that out.”

He grinned. “Well then, sounds like we might have afternoon plans.”


	5. Chapter 5

They went down to his apartment, and peeled each other out of their clothes. It occurred to her—during the period of time her thoughts were still working—that this was now the most time she’d ever had sex with the same man. And she wasn’t bored, not even a couple of hours later when they’d gamely doubled that number.

Though she did learn that men had a point where they could go no further. And it was far sooner than women.

“Eighteen? I don’t think I believe you.”

Eshe looked over at him. He’d asked how many times she’d had sex in a single day and she’d told him. “That’s in a 24 hour period. Technically less than one an hour. Though, granted, most were bunched closer together.”

He squinted at her a moment. "Was it with another woman?”

“Yes.”

"That would give an unfair advantage.”

She smirked. “Men’s inferior biology is not really my problem.”

"I think _my_ inferior biology might be your problem," he retorted, poking her with his foot. "At least until May.”

She wondered if it was in any way possible for two people to carry on that long and not develop feelings for each other. If it would stay just sex. If it could.

To that end, she really ought to go back to her own apartment since the recreation had clearly come to an end. But she just. . . didn’t want to. 

“It is not even dinner time,” she said. “I don’t really have downtime much. I don’t know what to do with it.”

He tilted his head. "Do you like art?”

“I appreciate art. I am amazed at the things creative people are able to capture—though I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” She’d been to plenty of museums, but always trailing the Prince. She watched the crowds, not the displays. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d actually looked at it. All she did was work.

He kissed the top of her head. ”Come on, get dressed. We'll go look at some art and see if there's a food in the city you haven't eaten.”

“Do you like art?” she asked as she climbed out of bed.

"I do," he said, hanging over the edge of the bed to look for his jeans. "I don't know as much about it as, say, Steve, but I enjoy it. I like getting close and looking at the brush strokes, seeing how all the little pieces come together in the whole. It's kind of like code that way.”

“I tend to stand back, take in the whole picture. I suppose that’s how each of us looks at the world in general.”

He smiled. "I suppose so. That's what I like about art. The same painting is different for everyone.”

“Maybe if we look at them together, we’ll each see something new.” He stopped to give her a mysterious smile, and she raised and eyebrow. “What?”

"Nothing," he said innocently. "That just sounded a bit romantic.”

She made a face. “Any resemblance to romance, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.”

"Of course. Foolish of me to think otherwise.”

Her shirt was in the living room, but once she found it, she was dressed. “Shall we go view art?”

He held out a hand. "Let's go.”

So that was how they spent the rest of the afternoon, wandering a modern art museum in an unusual circular building. He’d get her to lean in, and she’d get him to step back. Hiro would tell him facts and trivia about the art, which he’d share with her. At one point they sat on a bench, looking at a piece of modern art that was a color gradient, debating how many actual colors they could see. Her color vision was much better than his. “I know most of them look black, but none of them actually are. At least compared to their neighbors.” She paused, tilting her head. “This painting is kind of a mindfuck.”

He tilted his head in the opposite direction. "I think that was the point, probably.”

“I think I need some sugar.”

"Hiro informs me the cafe here sells a three scoop ice cream sundae.”

She grinned. “That sounds like a sufficient amount.”

"Come on," he said, kissing her cheek and standing. "I'll buy.”

He seemed to think they were going to share the sundae, which caused her to make a face and primly inform him to get his own. He got a single scoop instead. She’d noticed previously she could eat him under the table. Wakandan metabolisms ran pretty hot.

She did give him some banana, though. 

"It's just empty vitamins," he teased her as she hacked it off.

“I miss the fruit from home the most,” she said. “I’m away too much and it doesn’t travel well.”

"Oh, man, Wakandan fruit is amazing. They had this melon. . . Darcy said once it was practically all she ate when she was pregnant with her first daughter.”

“We have many melons. Wakanda has thousands of plants that exist no where else. Or at least have gone extinct elsewhere.”

"You're making me want to visit. I haven't been in ages.”

“Me too,” she said with a sigh, licking her spoon. “I love looking after the Prince. But I still get homesick.”

"Will he be going back after school?”

She nodded. “To begin his Black Panther training. It’s intense and long and involves a lot of time in the jungle.”

Nate tilted his head. "Will you go with him? Or be reassigned?”

“I will be reassigned,” she said. It was a profoundly depressing thought, so she shoved a large spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I brought you down.”

“Not all conversations must be happy,” she replied. “I like honestly in all its forms.”

"I know, but we were having a good time and I get the sense thinking about the future stresses you out.”

Perhaps this was where there boundary feel, then. She could respect that. She she shrugged. “The future is coming whether one stresses about it or not. Might as well enjoy the present.”

He nodded. "I can appreciate that. So, now that you've had sugar, where to next?”

“I assume there is a real dinner on the agenda at some point?” she tried.

"Of course. If you want me to cook we may need to his the store. Or I can take you out somewhere.”

“New York does have many cuisines I haven’t sampled. Though, we could get takeout.”

He grinned widely. "Sounds like a good plan.”

*

Nate and Eshe had taken the subway uptown—that no one in their car had dared get in her personal space was something Nate found amusing, but on the way home she wanted to walk. It was a couple miles but they could go mostly through Central Park.

It was one of those warm late August nights that made him grateful for air conditioning, but the setting sun was taking the edge off and she, a native of the equator, clearly felt at home.

“This is a few blocks from your building,” she said, gesturing at the park. “And you run on a hamster wheel.”

"I told you, I like to zone out when I run. Even Hiro shuts up for a while and I can have a little zen time.”

“You could run with me. Just stay in my shadow. People will move. People alway move out of my way.” 

He grinned. "There's no way I can keep up with you.”

She smirked. “I suppose I could walk.”

"You'd do that for me?”

She spread her arms. “I assumed you’d make it worth my while.”

"I suppose a good run _does_ get my blood pumping.”

_It wouldn’t kill you to run outside once in a while,_ Hiro told him. _Your vitamin D levels are a little low._

"Hiro is on your side," he informed Eshe.

“About the running or the sex afterward?”

"The running. Though he usually approves of sex.”

She stopped walking a moment and looked at Nate. “Does he. . . watch?”

_What kind of pervert does she think I am?_

"No, he doesn't. He hibernates when I'm. . . busy.”

Eshe shrugged. “Just curious. He is part of you.” She started walking again, and so did he.

"He's a part of me and not a part. There's enough separation of personality he'll look away to allow me privacy." Balancing that had taken them a while. Sometimes he wished he could update Hiro to be a more. . .mature personality. But he'd gotten so used to the weirdo he just couldn't bring himself to try.

She tucked her hand in his. “Does he ever need privacy?”

_This is why I like her. She considers my needs._

"Sort of," Nate said. "Like I said he hibernates, sort of like Vision does. It's not sleeping like we think of it, but it allows him to rest and organize any new information he picked up.”

Eshe nodded in understanding. “Ada and His Highness once covered Vision in stickers while he was hibernating.”

"I think that's a lot of why he does his hibernating in his office with the door locked now.”

“Those kids ran him ragged and he was always a good sport.”

Nate grinned. "Vision is the definition of good sport.”

“They have a way of talking people into doing things,” she said ruefully. “I let Ada paint my head with glitter, for example.”

"How old was she?”

Eshe smiled fondly. “Nine or ten. She’d come up with some sort of skin adhesive specifically for the purpose and wanted to test it”

"How did it go?”

“It took me four days to get it off, and I was finding glitter in strange places for months. You could actually follow the glitter infestation through the women I slept with, which was kind of. . .” She tilted her head like she did when she was looking for an English word, and settled on, “Awkward.”

He laughed, squeezing her hand. "That is amazing. The CDC should use glitter to predict epidemic spreading.”

“Never a dull moment with that one.”

"It's the same when she's here. I sort of speak her language, but I know some of the others are just mystified with her. She and Kate have a combative relationship, mostly because Ada thinks she's ready to be Iron Woman and Kate knows she's not.”

“It probably should be Vibranium Woman.”

"I will put that in the suggestion box.”

They came across a Food Truck gathering near one of the park entrances, and she immediately pulled him over. “I’m fascinated and and concerned at the same time.”

"Oh, don't worry. Food trucks are amazing. I've never gotten sick from a truck." He scanned the collection. "What regional delight shall we sample?”

“I’ve never had Mexican,” she said.

With effort, he surpressed a laugh. It made sense there weren't a lot of Mexican places in Wakanda or England. "Burritos and guac it is.”

“I trust you,” she said with a grin.

They wandered through the trucks till they found a Mexican one he recognized, then Nate ordered for both of them, probably getting too much in his desire to get her to try everything. She ate with gusto, and pronounced it delicious. She finished with a churro, which got cinnamon and sugar all over her face.

Nate brushed some of it off with a napkin, then leaned in to kiss her, getting a taste of it. She sighed and met him, curling her hand around the back of his neck. He tucked his arms around her, holding her close as the kiss stretched before they finally parted. "You are gorgeous," he told her.

She smiled back at him. “I am many things.”

"That is very true." He kissed her again. "Shall we head back?”

Eshe stood and held her hand out to him. When he took it, she gave a little tug and easily pulled him to his feet. He kept hold of her hand as they threw away their trash and started walking out of the park. It was really nice to have a beautiful woman to hold hands with on a sunny day.

By the time they reached the other end of the park, dusk had turned to twilight. “I had a really nice time today,” she told him.

"I'm glad. I did too.”

“Thank you for entertaining me.”

Nate grinned at her "Nice to know I can do it outside of bed, too.”

She laughed, and as they crossed the street in front of Grand Central, she asked, “Was this a date?”

"You know, I think it was." He glanced at her. "Is that okay?”

“I think so. I’ve never actually really _been_ on a date before.”

"I am honored to be your first," he told her solemnly.

She sighed a little as they walked into the lobby, and let go of his hand. “Though it is, kind of, technically, against the rules.”

"Dating your charge's not-a-girlfriend's charming pseudo-teammate?”

“Technically we’re not supposed to get involved with anyone out in the field. A blind eye is generally turned to casual sex—as I said, Wakandans tend to see that as a need. But it shouldn’t be something that becomes distracting.” The elevator doors opened for them and they got inside. “The current head of the Dora Milaje is pretty strict about it. I don’t know if she’s just a traditionalist or it’s because years ago she had a very messy divorce that apparently involved treason. According to the gossip, anyway.”

"I suppose that would make one wary of entanglements." He looked at her. "Are you suggesting we back off? Or that you just won't be writing home about me?”

“I did tell you this morning this was just going to be sex.”

"I remember." He gave her hand a little squeeze. "But I like going out with you, too.”

“I’m not doing very good at following my own rules.”

"Well, you'll fit in just fine at the Tower.”

That made her laugh, and the elevator opened on her floor, which was first. She hesitated a moment, then said, “I should say goodnight,” she said, then looked up at him. “Shouldn’t I?”

"It's been a while since I've been on a first date, but that is how most of them ended for me.”

“If America TV is to be believed, I should invite you in for a drink.”

He grinned. "The drink is usually a metaphor.”

She grinned back. “I’m all right with that.”

"Me too." He kissed her and backed her out into the hallway. They stumbled as far as her door, and FRIDAY helpfully opened it for them. He lifted her up so he could carry her to the bedroom. They didn’t say anything, but then they didn’t need to. 

Afterwards they drifted, not asleep and not awake, for some length of time. Eventually she got up to go find a snack, and returned with a can of cheese puffs—the little round ones that made him think of grandparents holding bridge parties. She watched him a moment, then said, “I think I need to tell the Prince.”

He stretched his arms. "About us?”

She nodded. “It wouldn’t be his business if I was just knocking on your door at midnight. But I think claiming it will be like that is a lie.”

_He’ll tell Ada,_ Hiro piped up. _Ada will tell everyone._

"If Ada gets wind the whole city will know by lunch. I'm not saying that's bad, just warning you.”

Eshe shrugged. “Those are your people, so it’s up to you to mind or not.”

"I don't mind a bit. To be honest I probably would have ended up telling Peter, at least.”

She closed her can of cheese puffs and put it on the nightstand. “I just thought I’d check. In case anyone was going to give you trouble.”

He kissed her forehead. "I think they'll give me a standing ovation.”

She laughed. “Thanks. I think.”

"Oh, it was definitely a compliment. You're way out of my league.”

“I’m not sure that is a compliment. It implies I have poor taste.”

He grinned and tickled his fingers along her ribs. "Maybe you see a diamond in the rough.”

She flinched at the tickle, and then moved, almost faster then he could process. One minute he was tickling her, the next he was on his back and she was on top of him, pining his arms over his head. He assumed it was just instinct, but _holy shit_ was that hot.

"Sorry, sorry," he murmured.

She stared down at him. “You are the first person to ever tickle me.”

Nate was starting to form Strong Opinions on how the Dora Mijae were raised. “Sorry?"

“No, I just. . .” She let go of his wrists. “I should apologize. I’m sorry. It was just instinct.”

He rolled his wrists and propped himself up on his elbows. "It's all right. No tickling. I will file that away with everything else I'm learning about you.”

She reached out hesitantly to touch them. “Did I hurt you?”

"Nah. I've taken harder hits than that." He was, of course, wearing a vibranium and gold alloy suit when that happened. . .

Gently she lifted one of his hands, and kissed the inside of his wrist. He stroked his fingers along her cheek. "I'm really okay.”

“I believe you, since you’re also turned on.” She rolled her hips, grinding against him for emphasis.

He groaned. "The flip and pin was sort of hot.”

She bent dow to kiss him. “Good, then. Let me make it up to you.”

"If you insist.”


	6. Chapter 6

In the morning, Eshe had a good workout and a long shower, and then went upstairs to talk to his highness when FRIDAY told her he was awake and moving.

She found him in the kitchen with Ada, making eggs.

"Now slide it forward and jerk it up to flip it," Ada was saying. Azi did so. And egg ended up on the ceiling.

Ada blew out a breath. "Oh, Azi.”

“I’m impressed,” Eshe said. “That’s a high ceiling.”

Azi was grinning. "Maybe I don't know my own strength."

"You just want to eat a plate of waffles for breakfast," Ada accused him, kissing his cheek.

He looked over at Eshe. “You are wearing your serious face.”

She cleared her throat. “There is something I need to discuss with you. At your convenience.”

His brows went up and he looked at Ada. "Oh, take her in the bedroom, I need to clean that." She pointed up at the ceiling.

He smiled and gestured to Eshe. "After you.”

She nodded, and proceeded ahead of him into the gigantic master bedroom—which, from the stuff she could see, they were clearly sharing. She was surprised to find it neat—Ada didn’t strike her as a bed maker, and goddess knew Azi had no idea how to do any sort of chores. “I apologize. I realize this is awkward.”

"Not at all. If you have something to talk about I will always make time for you.”

“The topic is awkward.” She squared her shoulders. “I am sleeping with one of the Avengers. Seems it’s going to be an ongoing thing so I felt I should tell you in case there was some sort of political or optics-related problem with that.”

He tilted his head. “Nate Richards, yes?”

Eshe sighed. “Vision told you?”

Azi shook his head. “There are only two of them that are unattached, so it was a 50/50 guess, and I know you went home with him the night of the Met Gala.”

Now she stared at him. “How—?”

“Ada did her. . . thing.”

Ada could figure things out from the tiniest clues sometimes. “Well, now I’m curious.”

"Oh, geez. Uh, apparently you had your coat when we went out to brunch but it wasn't in the coat closet when she went to get hers, and you didn't come into the apartment wearing it, despite being in the clothes she'd seen you go out in. So you spent the night in the building. She doesn't think Cassie sleeps with women. Nate is both up for a one night stand and, according to Ada, a big fan of women who can beat him up.”

She laughed, and put her hands over her face. “Yep, that’s about it.”

"He seems like a nice man," Azi said. "I'm glad you've found happiness with him.”

“It’s not. . .serious, or anything. I have a job to do, and I won’t be distracted. But we are keeping each other company.” She looked up at him “It’s all right then? You don’t object?”

"Not at all. I'm happy for you.”

She looked at him for a long moment. “You seem happy, too.”

"I am," he told her, looking very serious and sincere. "No one makes me feel the way Ada does. It is nice to not have to hide.”

She reached out and squeezed his arm. “Enjoy the time you have.”

He smiled sadly and covered her hand with his. "I intend to.”

She wondered right then if they were both going to have a very miserable plane ride in the spring.

The following week Azi started classes, and so she was busy with that. Trudging around Manhattan wasn’t much different than trudging around London. In the evenings he and Ada stayed in, and Eshe went downstairs. Mostly she kept her own company. And Nate’s.

Ada threw a party in honor of Azi’s arrival. She noticed they were being discrete about their relationship—most of the team clearly did not know. Considering Ada usually couldn’t keep a secret to save her life, Eshe found that intriguing. Perhaps she was concerned it would percolate back to the families.

It more or less outed her and Nate, however. No one seemed particularly shocked or alarmed. He spent the party at her side, put his arm around her a few times. Nate was good at making a statement without making a fuss.

“Are they going to ambush you with questions?” she asked him as she worked through a tray of appetizers.

"Oh, probably. I'm surprised Kam and Cass haven't come by to interrogate already.”

“I will protect you,” she said around a mouthful of crab cakes.

"I have every faith in you," he assured her. "Though they'll probably also invite you to their little girls club.”

She swallowed. “Girls club?”

"Yeah, the girls all get together and do their nails and talk about sex and whatever else it is women speak of. The boys usually play poker. You'd be welcome to come play poker, but the girls probably have more embarrassing stories about me.”

“You don’t want to play poker with me.”

"No, probably not, but it seemed rude to be the one to say that.”

“On the other hand, every situation where I have sat around with other women taking about sex, it’s led to, you know, sex. But I’m guessing that’s not the sort of party you’re talking about.”

"I'm pretty sure Ada is the only one the crew that doesn't identify as straight. That might be awkward.”

“See, that’s why I ask these things.”

He grinned and snagged a fried mac n cheese ball off a passing tray and held it out to her. "It's good to check.”

She leaned forward and ate it off his fingers. “In the rest of the world it’s more of an identity than it is Wakanda. I assume that’s the social stigma—I mean, I get it, we share borders with countries where it’s a capital crime.” When people asked her why Wakanda isolated itself from the world, Eshe was always tempted to just reply that the rest of the world was terrible. “But it’s been an adjustment. Back home you fuck who you feel like fucking and that’s about it. Our language doesn’t even include words to differentiate. Now we hand out pamphlets to Wakandans traveling abroad with instructions about who you are allowed to fuck where.”

"That is depressing," Nate conceded. He sipped his drink. "It used to be much worse here. I think in another couple of decades it'll no longer be worth commenting on, at least in this country. But social change can be slow and stupid when it comes to prejudice.”

“On many levels. Remind me to one day tell you the story of Azi and I going to Walmart up in Ithaca on a visit to the compound. I legitimately almost ended up in jail.” Store employees had been following them—she later learned because they were assuming they’d shoplift—and Eshe had thought they were a threat and drawn a weapon. Steve had needed to come over and explain Diplomatic Immunity to the Ithaca police.

"Sam has some stories of a similar nature," Nate said. "I think it's part of why he and Lani stayed here.”

“Ithaca is very different from Manhattan.” She really hoped Azi didn’t want to stay over the winter holidays and require them to go up there.

"Yeah. It's for old people and med students.”

“I’m going to go try and make the acquaintance with some of the girls.” She squeezed his arm. “I promise to be complimentary.”

"I appreciate that." He patted her butt affectionately. "Have fun.”

Eshe walked in the direction of Kamala, who had made eye contact. “Hello.”

She smiled. "Eshe. Having fun?”

“I am. Though mostly I’ve be eating all the appetizers.”

"Ada's caterers are really good. And given all the enhanced people on the team they always have a ton of food.”

Eshe could see the other women watching them, drifting closer in an uncoordinated ring. They were clearly trying not to swarm, but also had not agreed in advance what order they would casually wander over. “Nate warned me about the interrogation followed by manicures,” she said to Kam. “Feel free to get it underway.”

"The sad part is they think they're being subtle.”

“The only one of them managing it is Kate, but the others are giving her away.”

"Story of my life," Kate muttered, finally conceding the jig was up. "We're usually more organized.”

Eshe made a mental note of how good Kate’s hearing clearly was, and grinned, waiting for the other women to join them. “Well, you didn’t get much notice to strategize.”

"Also, pregnancy brain is making Kate slow," Cassie said.

"You shut your mouth.”

“Scientific studies have shown that’s mostly a myth,” Tess said. “Your brain capacity does not change during pregnancy.”

Kate gestured to her emphatically, glaring at Cassie. "See? I am as I ever was.”

“I watch people for a living,” Eshe offered. “Don’t take it personally.”

"Do you get time off?" Kate asked. "We're having a girl's night. You'd be welcome.”

Ada appeared from somewhere. “She’ll have the night off. I’ll lock Azi in a closet or something.”

“Sounds like I will be attending.”

"Ada is very persuasive."

"I also enjoy new people and gossip," she added proudly.

“I promise to provide all the gossip that is not a state secret,” Eshe replied. “I’ve been told I’m very blunt.”

"I _love_ blunt.”

Their girls night was scheduled the following weekend. The remnants of a hurricane had blown in Saturday morning, bringing wind and drenching rains. The storm had made landfall several hundred kilometers south on Wednesday, and the team had been down there for several days, like they were for most natural disasters. Eshe had spent most of Wednesday sitting on the couch with Azi, nervously and silently watching the video feed of Nate and Ada flying in 200kph winds rescuing people from the storm surge.

The Tower being battered by wind and rain, the girls decided to stay in.

When Eshe arrived at Tess's apartment, they were debating what kind of food to order in and immediately pulled her into the battle. One of the options was Thai food, which she’d never had, and mentioning that seemed to make up their minds.

"Nate hasn't take you on a worldwide food tour?" Cassie said once they'd ordered. "He's such a slacker.”

“He’s working on it. We don’t go out a lot.”

There was a pause and a bunch of them smirked, but no one made the obvious joke. "Usually we impress out of towners with Ethiopian food," Kamala said. "But I'm guessing you won't be super impressed with that.”

“No, but it will probably be familiar. Which is nice. I don’t get a lot of familiar here.”

There was a chorus of sympathetic noises, which she found rather amusing. The girls occasionally were so in sync it was like a hive mind. "Are you enjoying New York in general?" Kate asked.

“I think I am liking it more than London,” she replied. Though much of the credit for that didn’t go to the city itself, really.

"You're supposed to say it's the best city in the world, but I'll take that."

"She's from Wakanda," Kam reminded her.

"Second best city," Kate corrected, lifting her glass.

“Many of the people I knew in London would probably want to fight you on that,” Eshe said. “People prefer their home, and their own culture. To foreigners, it always feels foreign.”

"True, even if they speak the same language."

"Even if it's in the same country," Tess piped up, to laughter from the others.

“I don’t think I will ever quite wrap my head around the vastness of of your country,” Eshe said. 

"I don't think even people who live here can," Tess told her. "California seems huge to me.”

“It is huge,” Cassie said. “Even Californians think so.”

"Can I get you something to drink?" Kam asked Eshe while the others started adding up how many states they'd been to.

“Something with bubbles and a lot of sugar,” she replied. “Nate calls it pop.”

"And we all find it adorable," Kam said, heading for the fridge to get her something. "Speaking of being foreign in your own country.”

“There is more adorable to him than I expected,” Eshe found herself saying.

Kam glanced back at her and smiled. "Nate's always been awesome. He's been the heart of this team.”

That made Eshe smile. “He’s good company.”

"You seem to make him really happy." Kam handed her a bottle of soda. "It's nice to see.”

“It isn’t serious. It can’t be. But we are enjoying ourselves while we can.”

Kam nodded, seemingly accepting that. "That's all any of us can do.”

“I think it’s bothered him,” Cassie said. “Everybody pairing off. I mean, he and I grump about being the only ones left. But I’ve got all kinds of trust issues with men and bad taste and am probably better off being at my leisure.” 

"Nate deserves a little happy," Tess said. "And you seem like you do, too.”

“I consider my own needs less often than I probably should."

Kate shook a finger at her. "I've been reliably told that that's bad.”

“One of the reasons I came tonight is that I really miss the company of other women. It’s been one of the hardest things about traveling with the Prince. I miss having friends.” 

"We are nothing if not friendly."

"Kate, you're many things that aren't friendly."

"Not weighted down with baby as I am.”

Eshe laughed. “I am a Dora Milaje. I’ve seen much worse.”

Kate gestured at her. "See. I can't get on their level.”

*

A couple months back, the team had evacuated a burning skyscraper, and Peter had made a net from his webbing, using one of the Iron Man suits—in that case containing Tony Stark—as an anchor point. Eventually Nate had come down to grab the other end to bring the people in the net to the ground. It was a good rescue technique, one Nate and Peter started using.

It had not worked so well when they tried using it in a hurricane.

Team Science had gone back to the drawing board, trying to figure out a method to get the web shooters to aim reliably in high wind, without hitting Nate or Ada so hard it knocked them out of the sky. Once they had prototypes, they went up to Ithaca to do some testing in the big wind tunnel. 

Azi tagged along with Ada, so Eshe tagged along with him. Which made Nate happy. The leaves had just turned, and her fascination with them made it worth having ridden in the car with them instead of flying up in his suit like Ada and Vision.

“I’ve seen plenty of photographs but it really does not do it justice.” 

"People come from all over to see them," Nate told her. "We call them leaf peepers.”

She sat back in her seat. “I do not ‘peep’.”

"It's an old fashioned word for eyes. Peepers." He batted his lashes at her, then sang a few lines of Jeepers Creepers. Her face was priceless. He leaned forward and kissed her, because it seemed like the thing to do. 

“Get a room!” Peter called from the driver’s seat.

"You be quiet, Mr. PDA." Peter and MJ had been on every tabloid and trashy magazine more times than anyone could count.

“Since she stayed back in Manhattan, I will mock you all I want to at this time,” he replied. MJ was in a Broadway show and hadn’t joined the caravan.

"So it's jealousy, is it?”

“Unabashedly.”

"Jackass," Nate said affectionately before leaning back in his seat. Eshe reached across the center and tucked her hand in his.

Later, standing around in the wind tunnel waiting for the testing to start, Peter said, “Seems like she makes you happy."

"She does," Nate replied, because there was no point in denying it. "Very much.”

“Isn’t she going back to Wakanda when the Prince does?”

"She is. Which is why she is very much determined not to be serious about each other.”

Peter gave him a look. “You seem to be doing a terrible job of that.”

"I am," he agreed easily. "But it makes her happy to pretend, so I don't say so. I don't think she's doing a very good job either.”

“You want my advice? Swing for the fences.”

Nate felt his brows raise. “Meaning?"

“Meaning, you don’t have that vague, middle part of a relationship where time does the work. You’ll need to figure out by spring whether this is worth upending your lives for each other, or it’s not. Because if it _is_ , you _will_. Don’t ostrich your way out of it.”

"Pushing her too hard will absolutely end it before I have a chance to sort anything out.”

“You don’t have to push her to figure out your own head.”

That was a good point. "I didn't say I was hiding from my own feelings. I'm just not expressing them to her.”

“Fair enough.”

_I don’t know, I think you kind of are,_ Hiro piped up.

"Nobody asked you," Nate muttered.

Peter gave him an odd look. “Sorry, I’ll mind my own business.”

_I won’t. You are my business._

Nate sighed. "No. Sorry. My AI is being nosy.”

“You know, Karen has never expressed an opinion one way or the other about MJ and I.”

"If she lived in your amygdala she might.”

“You ever considered, ah, relocating him?”

"I've talked to Doc about it. She's concerned the risk of brain damage is pretty high. Tony has suggested just. . . turning him off but that feels a bit like murder, you know?" At eighteen, when they'd put him in, Nate hadn't really thought about the ramifications of having an AI in his head the rest of his life. At the time he'd just wanted to avoid jail and get some money to send to his parents. Looking back, sometimes he wondered if he should have negotiated a little harder.

_I would rather you not turn me off,_ Hiro told him. _Just saying._

_I know, buddy. I know._

_You’d miss me. And Tony still misses JARVIS, so he’s kinda full of shit._

JARVIS had never actually been in Tony's brain, but it was a good point. "I'm used to him at this point anyway," he told Pete. "It'd probably be too quiet without him.”

“Okay!” Ada called, “We’re ready!”

He pulled his face plate down. "Ready to be used as an anchor, Mr. Spiderman.”


	7. Chapter 7

The testing went very well, though he got decently banged around while they did so. The group of them went out for drinks afterwards. Unfortunately they ended up at some college bar that would let Ada in. The crowd made him feel kind of old. He’d turned 30 that year. It was too old for college bars.

He realized he had no idea how old Eshe was—and it was impossible to tell—but given how long she’d been guarding Azi, she certainly wasn’t younger. She watched the room like she was working, which he supposed she was. But she did it leaning against him, and let him keep his hand on her knee.

"Can I ask how old you are?" he asked her, pressing a kiss to her temple. Might as well find out if he was being cradle robbed.

She chuckled. “I am 34.” She looked over at him. “Am I too old for you?"

"No, though that's more than I would have guessed.”

“They still card me for drinks,” she said. She was drinking something fruity with a little umbrella, which she was nearly at the bottom of. Regular alcohol didn’t do much for her, but she said she liked the taste.

"Peter's probably going to get carded into his fifties.”

She kissed his cheek. “I’m going to get a refill, do you want anything?”

He glanced at his glass, which was still half full. "Nah, I'm good. I'll keep your seat warm.”

Nate watched her saunter up to the bar and get the bartender’s attention. A beautiful woman could get a drink in short order no matter how crowded a place was, though she did have to squeeze between two dudes sitting on barstools.

One clearly took it as an invitation to try and hit on her. He watched her attempt to dismiss the man, who instead put his hand on her ass. If it were any other woman this is where Nate would stand up, but if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that Eshe had this kind of thing handled.

Behind him Ada said, “Oh, dude, no. You’re going to lose your arm.” Azi snorted in laughter. Eshe just reached down and removed the offending hand. She took her drink and turned back to the table.

With the infinite wisdom of the very drunk, the man staggered to his feet—he was kind of enormous—and reached to grab her arm, “Bitch, I was talking to you.”

Eshe yanked on his wrist and then flipped him over her back so he landed on the floor in front of her with a crash loud enough to get the attention of the entire bar. He upended a chair and a table as he went down, but somehow she hadn’t spilled her own drink. She simply stepped over him and walked to their table like nothing had happened.

Nate lifted his arm so she could tuck back under it at his side. "Well done," he murmured.

“People have no manners,” she replied. Ada and Azi were clapping.

_Honestly,_ Hiro told him, _Even I’m a little turned on now._

"I feel very honored to be the man currently allowed to touch your butt.”

She laughed. Drunk dude got himself to his feet and staggered over to their table, like he was going to start something. . . then got a good look at them and stopped. He turned without a word and stumbled away.

"Oh good," Ada said. "I didn't actually want to be in a bar fight.”

“I realized three of us could probably juggle that guy and his friends,” Peter said, “But maybe we should get out of here before he comes back with them anyway?”

“I would not enjoy a second encounter with the Ithaca Police,” Eshe said.

Nate downed as much of his beer as he could, then they started to get up, gathering their things. "We can't take you anywhere," he teased.

“The poor behavior of American men isn’t my fault.”

He kissed her cheek, tucking an arm around her waist. "I know.”

She grinned at him as they walked to the door. “Should I have let you come defend me?"

"Hell no. I had much more fun watching.”

She turned to check on Azi and make sure everyone made it safely out of the bar. People got out of their way. His buzz kicked in for real as they drove home, and she didn’t seem to mind his hands wandering in the back of the car.

They were staying in the temp housing, since Ada felt weird about having sex in her parents house. Which she had happily stated was her reason for wanting the temp housing. Nate suspected Azi had a healthy fear of the Hulk, too, though it had been a very long time since Bruce had let him out to play.

They said goodnight to the others in the hall way, then went into their apartment. Where he promptly pressed her against the wall to kiss her. She sifted her fingers through his hair and murmured, “You really did enjoy watching.”

"Absolutely. You wouldn't enjoy watching me kick some well deserved ass?”

“I would. But the dynamic is different,” she said, lifting her arms so he could peel her shirt off. “I prefer the parts of you that are quiet and private and. . . mine.” The last word was said softly, and very cautiously. Like she knew she was admitting something.

He nuzzled at her shoulder, hoping lack of eye contact would help her not freak out or anything. "I am yours.”

She sighed, but it was a contented sigh. Her fingers stroked the back of his neck. “Nate.”

He hummed in pleasure at the touch, curling his hands around her waist. "Right here.”

“I want to promise you things, but I can’t.”

"I know." He rubbed her back and lifted his head to look at her. "Can you promise me right now?”

“Yes.” She reached up to touch his face. “Right now I am entirely yours.” 

He smiled and kissed her palm. "That's good enough for me.” She nodded a little, and then she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He decided to pick her up and carrying her back to the bedroom. When he set her down she pulled his shirt off and he unbuttoned her jeans. They were pretty efficient at undressing each other given how often they did it.

Bending, he pressed a kiss to her belly, nuzzling the soft skin there. She arched up, lifting her hips so he could pull her jeans down. He missed the warmer weather because she tended to show a lot of skin that was now disappearing under clothes. Though he still got to see her without it plenty. 

Nate kissed her hip, tugging her jeans off to give him room. Then he trailed a line of kisses along the arc of her hipbone, before nudging her legs apart and kneeling between them.

He felt a little shudder pass through her, and she murmured, “Now I’m definitely yours.” Her accent had gotten strong enough to blur the words. Sometimes he could make her lose the English entirely. Considering the experience she had, with women certainly more experienced than he was, he figured that was a pretty big compliment.

When he stroked his fingers over her sex she made a very erotic sound, and repeated it when he followed with his mouth. By now he knew how to wind her up quickly, or to tease her until she begged. This was the second kind of night—he had her pulling on his hair so hard it hurt.

"Did you want something?" he murmured, stroking his fingers back and forth over her clit.

She pushed up on an elbow to look down at him through heavy-lidded eyes. She said something, but it wasn’t anywhere even close to English. Nate chuckled and kissed his way up her body before capturing her mouth. They shared a slow, heady kiss, then he broke away to free himself of his jeans. She reached to help him, and yanked on the fabric so hard the side seam split. 

He chuckled, tossing the ruined fabric aside. "Easy, honey. I'm already turned on.”

She reached for him. “You started it.”

He let her pull him down, rolling with her as they kissed again. He let his hands roam her skin, tugging her on top of him. “Make me do all the work, eh?” she asked him. Before he could reply she shifted and took him inside her. The slick, hot feel of her was all he could pay attention to.

She sat still a moment, apparently savoring the sensation as much as he was. He gave her ass an encouraging little squeeze, then reached up to pull her down for a kiss. They got lost in it for a bit, and she began slowly rocking her hips. Nate groaned into her mouth lifting up to her in counterpoint, going a bit deeper. 

She straightened so she could move better, and he loved the view. She was entirely perfect. He let his hands roam her legs and hips, enjoy the ripple and shift of muscle. When he felt his own release building up, he slipped a hand between them to strum her clit again in the hopes of getting her there with him.

Her rhythm faltered as she shuddered, and for a moment her eyes closed. Then she opened them and looked down. She held his gaze and he watched the pleasure written across her face, her features tightening and her eyelids fluttering. He could see her let go, just as her body pulsed around him. He held her gaze as long as he could before giving in himself, bucking up into her as his own release poured through him.

Eshe braced on her arms and bent her head to kiss him. “We still are like magnets.”

“Absolutely.”

They slept tangled together, and she was still out when Hiro woke him in the morning. _Your mother is trying to reach you. She wants to come visit, Jake is due to see Doc._ His younger brother needed to come regularly for treatment he was receiving as part of a study with Amanda.

Nate groaned and started disentangling from Eshe. _Did she say when?_

_Before it gets too cold. You want me to put her off?_

_No, no. I haven't seen them in ages. I'll put on pants and call her._

There was silence, and he thought Hiro was done, but he added, _You haven’t told them about her, have you?_

He stifled a sigh. _No. No I have not._

_Could be awesome, could be terrible. It’s like roulette._

_My parents will be awesome and welcoming. I'm concerned Eshe might freak out a bit._

_Have you ever seen her freak out about anything? I don’t think she does ‘freaking out’._

For her part, Eshe had sat up and looked over at him, noticed he was making his ‘talking to Hiro’ face and got up to go to the bathroom. 

Nate watched her go. _Maybe I should warn her before I talk to mom._

_If she doesn’t want to meet them, you can just say nothing about her. She’s the Prince’s bodyguard._

_Yeah._ Though he admitted it would make him a little sad if she didn't want to meet them.

In the bathroom, the shower went on. He laid there in bed, thinking, until it went off again. She came back out into the bedroom, bending to dig around in her bag for something or other. She was naked, so he greatly enjoyed watching. She straightened, holding the little vibranium device—he honestly didn’t know exactly what it was—that she used to keep her hair from growing. “What?”

Nothing like ripping off the Band Aid. "My parents are coming to New York. What would you think about meeting them?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Sure, why not?”

Well, that was anticlimactic. "You're sure?”

“Of course.” She turned towards the bathroom, then back to him. “Is this one of those things Americans are weird about?”

"It's usually seen as a serious step in a relationship.”

“Ah.” She put the device down and pulled clothes out of her bag to put on. “So your family will see it as such?”

"I can tell them it's not, but they may still assume it is.”

She came around and sat on the end of the bed. “And does that bother you?”

He considered a moment, I'm the interest of giving her an honest answer. "No, I don't think so. I'd like them to meet you because you're important to me, no matter what happens in the future. I want you to meet them for the same reason.”

She hesitated a moment, then said, “I would like to meet your family.”

He smiled and kissed her gently. "Thank you. I'll call Mom and set up a date.”

Nate waited until they got back to the city to call his mother, who was very excited. “Your father has promised to take me to a Broadway show and I’m holding him to that.”

“It'll be great to see you. I'll talk to Darcy and see if you guys can use one of the spare apartments so Jake doesn't have to worry about finding an ADA friendly hotel. Do you want me to ask MJ about tickets?”

She made a little squeaking noise. “She can get tickets to _Captain Rogers_?”

"Well. . . she's in it, so probably?”

“Your brother insisted that according to the internet, the _actual_ Captain Rogers couldn’t get tickets before April.”

"Mom, we've all gone to see it. Pete could probably recite it for you. The internet doesn't know everything.”

“I think even your father would enjoy that. Could you get four tickets? We could all go.”

Nate cleared his throat. "Actually, I think I'll get five. There's someone here I wanted you guys to meet and that might be a good opportunity to do it.”

There was a very noticeable pause, then, “Nathaniel, do you have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend, if that’s become a thing.” Nate had never dated a man, but his mother was always very concerned that he feel accepted should he someday decide to do so.

"She's not precisely a girlfriend." How to explain this to his mother? "She's the bodyguard for the Prince of Wakanda, whose going to school here for the year." He went on to explain how it was temporary and while he and Eshe were close and he wanted them to meet her, there probably wasn't any future there. "So don't make a big thing of it.”

She was quiet a moment. “Nate, are you okay?”

"I'm fine. I knew what I was getting into when it started.”

He could tell she wanted to say more, but was grateful she didn’t. “I promise I will not make a big deal.”

"Thank you. I will abuse my friendship with Peter to get you _Captain Rogers_ tickets.”

*

A week after their trip to Ithaca, Eshe went to a baby shower for Kate Bishop. As a gift, she brought a traditional Wakandan baby wrap, and ended up giving a demo of how to put it on using Darcy Bennett’s youngest child.

Cassie took a picture with her phone. "I'm sending that to Nate. See if I get his clock ticking."

“Do guys really have clocks?” Ada asked.

“Mine sure as hell did,” Sharon Rogers said. 

“Mine too,” Kamala added. “Men want children just as much as women.”

“That’s not what I meant. When we talk about the biological clock it’s in the sense that it is ticking down. There is a limited biological window to a woman’s fertility. Men don’t have a window. They can get someone pregnant as easy at 70 as 20.”

"Biologically, it's still better to have them younger so as the be able to provide for them better," Amanda Barnes said. "And to impregnate as many women as possible. So a clock is still an apt metaphor, just with a longer time limit.”

“Impregnate as many as possible seems to be mostly interpreted as an urge to sleep around,” MJ said. “For some men that clearly ticks pretty loud.” 

There was a round of laughs. Eshe carefully untied the baby, and sent her toddling back to her mother. If there was a man that had a biological clock, it was probably Nate. While she had occasionally entertained crazy ideas—like a deeply politically awkward long-distance relationship—that kind of life couldn’t possibly be feasible. She did want children someday, she’d just assumed she would be with a woman who could carry them. If it had to be her, she’d have to leave the Dora.

She wanted to tell Cassie not to send him that stupid picture—why stir up something than can never be—but she was at a loss as to how to convey that without bringing down the jovial mood. They were here to celebrate a new baby, not discuss her personal life. Particularly in front of all of the older women, who’d come for the event. So she joined in the chuckle and sat back in her chair.

"Pretty sure Wyatt has way more of a clock than I do," Kate said from her place of honor in an immense arm chair. It was apparently Clint's chair and she had been given special dispensation to use it while pregnant.

More gifts were brought for Kate to open. All of them women from the team, and the original team, had come for the party. Eshe had felt a little awkward to be invited, but she loved the girls parties, and they’d sworn there would not be any stupid games. Kate didn’t like stupid games. Eshe didn’t know why that was a problem until Kamala explained the typical activities at an American baby shower.

The culture here was sometimes so very bizarre.

"Do they have baby showers in Wakanda?" Tess asked her when there was a lull in the conversation.

“The party is usually after the baby is born,” she replied. “Big blessing ceremony when the baby is named. Different tribes have different specific traditions. In mine, all babies are dunked in the river.”

"LIke a baptism?”

“Well, we don’t believe innocent babies are born evil and need to be washed of sin lest they go to eternal torment.” She winced as soon as she said it. She was pretty sure Tess was Christian, and that it was maybe not a good time to get into the generally held Wakandan contention that Christianity was the worst religion to ever grace the face of the earth. “Sorry.” She cleared her throat at decided to just keep talking. “We believe the River connects us. All Wakandans to each other, and all of us to our ancestors, who have stood in the same river all the way back to the beginning. So you bring your child to the river, submerge them in the water, and then they too are connected.”

"That's very sweet," Tess said, looking unoffended. "Baptists only baptize you when you're old enough to know what joining the church means. But my town always had a big party when kids were born. You brought food over and any supplies you could spare to help the parents out. No one ever seemed to plan it, it just happened that way. I guess it's sort of the same thing. Welcoming the newcomer to the fold.”

“Wakandans tend to live multigenerational, houses sprawling organically as room get tacked on to make room for more people. My family has a compound, much like the Avengers that lived in Wakanda had—and like up in Ithaca as well. Bunch of houses all clustered together. The way you all live here is very familiar to me. But, that does mean that there is _plenty_ of stuff when a little one comes along.”

“We do that, too,” Tess said. “A lot of the gifts up there are communal items being ‘presented’. There are half a dozen of those BabyPods and they’ve been passed around for years.”

“Continuity like that is an important part of our culture.”

"FRIDAY informs me Edith Barnes, one of the Stark twins, and a Taschengregger all slept in it," Kate confirmed. "Decent pedigree.”

“I think every single one will have had one of mine in it by the end,” Wanda said. She was pregnant, looking pretty far along, and Eshe had been surprised to learn that she was barely out of her first trimester but was having triplets. 

"We should make them plaques," Sharon said. "Add on as more kids sleep in them.”

“My people would approve of that,” Eshe commented.

"We are our own little tribe here," Kam said. "It's nice to honor the legacy.”

That night she had dinner with Nate, and told him about the shower. Apparently the boys had taken Wyatt out, and then set up the furniture in the baby’s room. It seemed this was a tradition among their group. 

"He's nervous as hell," Nate said. "But getting used to it. I know Kate never thought she'd be a mom. I guess it's been a weird ride.”

“I understand Tess and Eli will be having one as well.”

"Yeah, I think she's due in February? They are _very_ excited. But they're a little more natural at the parenthood thing, if that makes sense.”

Eshe smiled. “I will have to get her a kanga wrap as well.”

"Wanda gave Kam and Raf one of those when they first got Nazzie. Nothing like having a normal chat with a guy only to have a second head appear over his shoulder.”

She laughed. “It’s very common back home. ‘Backing your baby’ is the most common term. Everybody does it. Though it works best if you have some manner of ass to help support the weight.”

Nate grinned. "I admit to not looking at Raf's ass, but he seemed to do all right. Helps that Nazzie's a little monkey.”

“He has a pretty decent ass for a white man,” Eshe told him. “I mean, it’s not like _mine_ , but so few are.”

"I _have_ looked at your ass and I can confirm yours is top tier.”

She grinned. “Why thank you.”

"So did you have fun with my girls?”

“I did. I like parties like that. Big groups of women. It reminds me of home.”

He nodded, digging into his food. "After the Grown Ups came and we started hanging out more, Kam suggested doing some gender separate get togethers too. Said it was important to have spaces where you could be just women or just men.”

“Yes,” she said. “Though I do see why Vision sometimes feels out of place.”

Nate glanced up. "He does?”

“He’s on the fence about whether he really even has a gender.”

"Huh." He trailed his fork through his pasta sauce. "I guess that makes sense. I never really thought about it, but I guess I haven't had to." He wrinkled his nose. "That sucks, I wish I'd known he was feeling that way.”

“He’s not one to talk about himself much.”

"I suppose not. I'll try to be more aware of it now, I guess.”

She watched him a long moment. “You really are a good guy, you know that?”

He looked startled a moment, then grinned. "It _does_ say superhero on my business card.”

“Do you really have business cards?”

Without a word he reached in his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, retrieved a card and slid it over to her. Sure enough, there was the Avengers A in the top left. In the center was his name, with Iron Man II underneath it and the main desk number.

“I feel compelled to point out the word superhero is not, technically, actually, on this card.”

"I'll tell Darcy of her oversight.” 

If Cassie had sent him the picture, he didn’t mention it, so Eshe didn’t mention it.


	8. Chapter 8

Nate’s family came to visit in early November. She felt ridiculous how nervous she was. It shouldn’t matter whether they liked her or not.

"Do you need to go punch things before they show up?" he asked as they waited in his apartment. He'd offered to meet them at the airport, but his mother hadn't wanted to "put him out." He had managed to send a hover-chair accessible car with little fuss.

“Punch things? Why would I need to punch things?”

"You're letting off nervous energy hard enough to vibrate. Thought it might do you good to let some out.”

“Is it that obvious?”

"I know you," he said. "So I notice.”

She looked over at him, surprised. “I suppose I’m not used to being noticed.”

He grinned. "I'll try not to blow your cover.”

He really did know her, didn’t he? She leaned over to kiss him. “Maybe I will go down to the gym. How long do we have?”

After a quick head tilt to speak with Hiro he said, "They're at least a half an hour out.”

“I’ll be back in 20 minutes.”

"Have fun," he said, kissing her before she hopped to her feet.

A quick workout did make her feel better, though her decision to jump in the shower did her in. She was drying off when FRIDAY told her Nate’s family was here.

A moment later, Nate's voice came over the intercom. "I'll meet you downstairs, okay?’

“Okay. Thank you. Sorry!” 

He chuckled. "It's fine. See you down there.”

They were in the lobby when she stepped out of the elevator. Four pair of eyes turned towards her. There was a moment of silence while she took them in. Nate’s father looked just like him. His mother looked like what might best be described as a stereotypical American librarian. This brother had a hover chair just like Lani Wilson’s. “Hi,” his mother said brightly. “I love your head.”

Nate covered his eyes with a hand. "Seriously mom?"

"What?! She doesn't have hair what else am I supposed to say?”

“I think she means the tattoos,” his brother said. “Not, like, the shape.” 

“The shape is also perfectly nice.”

He looked at Eshe. “I’m Jake. The rest of them are nuts and you should seriously consider running for your life.”

"I'm perfectly normal," his dad rumbled.

"Sure dear."

Nate sighed. "Eshe, this is my mom Denise, my dad Charles, and my brother Jake. Everyone, this is Eshe.”

They waved in near unison, and she found herself grinning at the adorableness of it. “It is very nice to meet you all.”

"Oh your accent is just lovely!" Denise said.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“How about we go upstairs and not be in the lobby?” Jake asked.

"That's a great idea," Nate said. "Come on to the elevator, I'll show you guys where you'll be staying.”

They got them settled into an apartment, which ended up being across the hall from Eshe’s apartment that she never actually slept in.

"Doc'll be down sometime tomorrow," Nate told them as his mother fussed over the stocked fridge. "And promised to hold off on Jake's treatment until after we see the play.”

“Doc and I can figure out timing,” Jake said.

"Is there anything else you want to do on the visit?”

“I could do for some bar-hopping,” Jake said.

“No,” Denise said immediately. 

“I am an adult, and I would like to go out and drink with my brother.”

"That sounds like fun," Nate said, very deliberately not looking at his mother. "You want to do just us or should I invite some of the guys?”

Jake grinned. “You can even bring girls.” He looked at Eshe, “You look like you can handle your liquor.”

“That I can.” She looked over at his parents. “I am a member of the Dora Milaje, the Wakandan Royal Guard. I will keep your boys out of trouble, I promise.”

His mother looked mollified, and a little embarrassed. "Thank you. I just. . . worry. You know.”

“My day job is looking after a 21 year old Prince with too much money and not enough sense. There’s plenty to worry about if you think on it too long. But you don’t have to. I keep a vibranium spear in my purse.”

"Your girl friend is badass," Jake stage-whispered to Nate.

Nate leaned down and replied in kind, "I know." Straightening, he added. "I'll ping the group and see who wants to come bar hopping.”

“Partying with superheroes sounds awesome,” Jake said.

"There will be three non-disclosures to sign," Nate told him seriously.

“One is in Wakandan,” Eshe added.

He looked from one to the other. "I see why you get along.”

They really did. She got along with Nate better than just about anyone she’d ever met. If she thought about that too long, it made her sad. Knowing what was coming.

Right now, she wanted to live in the present. 

They got most of the team to come with them and show his little brother a good time in New York City. Azi and Ada both had schoolwork—it was a Wednesday—and so Eshe got to go and enjoy herself. She was particularly happy MJ wasn’t on stage and came along. Eshe liked her.

"Peter was really hoping for embarrassing Nate stories and Jake does not disappoint," MJ commented to her when they were at the bar together getting another round.

“He seems like a good kid. Their mother didn’t want him to go out, I had to volunteer to look after him.”

MJ shook her head. "I guess I can sympathize. I'm glad she let go, though. It's good for him to get out.”

“Nate clearly adores him. I’m happy they’re getting to spend some time with each other.”

"Pete said they're close. Nate was thrilled when Amanda's serum started helping him.”

“His family seems very well adjusted for what they’ve been through. One kid disabled and sick, the other one sent to jail and then secretive government experiments. Seems like that would break most people.” 

MJ popped a couple pretzels in her mouth and turned to look back at the group. "You would be amazed what a family can survive. I think they love each other and I think they communicate. That counts for a lot." She shook her head. "Nate is one of the most well adjusted people I've ever met.”

Eshe sighed. “Make me feel a little better about the mess I will leave behind me.”

"Planning your escape already?" MJ asked mildly.

“No, no. But I am going to have to leave when the Prince goes home. And I think that’s going to be very hard.”

"Mmm. Goodbyes are always hard. Though there's something to be said for knowing it's coming. Going in with your eyes open and all that fun stuff.”

“You think that makes it easier?”

MJ glanced at her. "The government took Peter when we were teenagers. Night of the Homecoming dance, a few doors from my building. I didn't see him again until he showed up on the news. Not knowing what happened, not knowing that the last time I talked to him was going to be my last. . . that was hell.”

“They _took_ him?”

She nodded. "They'd seen videos of him fighting crime in his homemade suit. Some of the others had been difficult when they'd come at them directly. So they decided to take a more abrupt route with Peter." Her tone was hard and something in her face told Eshe that if the ones who'd made that decision were standing in front of her, they wouldn't be standing long.

Which was why Eshe liked her. “Nate told me they offered it to him as an alternate to federal prison.”

"Yeah. Kate and Cassie had committed crimes, too, which they used against them, but they both gave them a hard time about it. Eli was in the Army, so they just sort of ordered him to go. They promised Kam answers to what had happened to her. With Peter they really didn't have anything, so they kidnapped him and threatened his 'little friends' and he was too scared to say no. So I went years not knowing what the hell had happened to him. It was awful." She looked back at their table. "Somedays, I still can't believe we got a second chance.”

“My people have a saying, ‘Keep walking forward long enough you’ll catch a cheetah’. Life has a way of coming around.”

MJ nodded, then smiled. "Hey, if that's true, maybe someday you and Nate will figure it out.”

Eshe watched the table. Nate was laughing at something his brother said. “Maybe.”

The bartender finished lining up their drink san MJ reached out to gather some. "Once more into the breach?”

*

“I like her,” Jake said, while Nate was busy enjoying the view of Eshe leaning on the bar. “I mean, she’s way too hot for you, but I like her.”

"Why thank you, that's pretty much how I feel, too.”

“Does she really carry a spear in her purse?”

"She does. It folds down to about the size of a pen.”

“You think she’ll show it to me if I ask?”

Nate smirked. "Probably, but don't ask to throw it.”

“I’m sure we could find someone in New York that deserves to have it thrown at them.” 

The women were heading back to the table with armloads of drinks.

"Goddesses, both of you," Raf said, helping them distribute the glasses.

MJ flopped into Peter's lap. "I'll take that.”

Nate held his arm out for Eshe to tuck against him. Before he could so much as lift the drink to his lips, Hiro said, _Tell Tess to answer her phone._

He frowned but obediently turned his head to where Tess was sitting. "Answer your phone," he told her.

“It’s not—” Tess started, just as it started to ring. She put her hand over her opposite ear as she answered it. “Hey, what’s up?” She put on her serious Doctor Face as she listened. “For how long?. . .No, no, I think that’s worth waking Amanda up. I’m gonna come home. . . Then go bang on the Bartons’ door and make Clint do it.”

_Kate’s in labor,_ Hiro told him. _Someone should go pay the tab._

_Shit._ "The littlest archer is making his appearance," he told the group. "Who has enough credit to pay the tab?”

“I thought that sounded like Baby Time,” Kam said. She gave Raf a shove. “Go pay the bill.”

He downed the glass in his hand and stood, heading for the bar. Tess was getting her coat on. "Sorry guys. You don't all have to come."

"Yes, we do," came a chorus of replies.

"Sorry little brother," Nate said to Jake.

He shrugged. “I’m here all week.” He finished his drink. Nate thought he looked tired—he’d insisted on not bringing his chair, so he probably was. But he wouldn’t admit it until he was literally about to collapse. Perhaps the excuse was welcome.

Someone - he was guessing Eli, once it became clear Tess needed to go - had called for their cars. A row of them was waiting when they exited the bar and they all piled in to head back to the Tower. "Bet Ada's not going to finish her homework tonight," Nate commented to Eshe as they drove.

“Have you ever been to a birth?” she asked. “They aren’t exactly speedy. Usually.”

"Tess said to wake Amanda, I'm guessing we're getting near show time. Kate's not the false alarm type."

"Ten to one the head's already poking out before she mentioned she had contractions," Cassie agreed.

“I admit I have no idea how an American birth goes. Other than knowing some of your people perplexed the Wakandan doctors and Amanda delivered most of the babies while they were staying with us.”

"There's a birthing room in the Tower," Cassie told her. "Has a chair and an exercise ball, bed, bunch of entertainment stuff. Amanda's theory is that people want to sleep in their own bed more than anything else. So she has people do the messy stuff there and gets them moved upstairs as soon as she can.”

“We send mothers home pretty quick as well—though in-home care goes with you,” Eshe said.

“American hospitals just toss you in the deep end,” Cassie said. “I’ve heard the moms speak wistfully of the nurses that came to your house in Wakanda.”

"Pepper especially," Nate added. "The difference between their early days with Ruby versus the twins is apparently quite marked.”

“What does the rest of the family do here? Are some or all of you going to go be in the room?”

Nate shrugged. "It's usually up to the woman. With Kate I'm guessing the crowd's going to be pretty small. But it's kind of tradition to hang out in the waiting room and entertain each other until there's news.”

“Even though you live upstairs?”

"Even so."

"It's a support thing," Cassie said. "To know your pack is out there and has your back.”

When they got back to the Tower, Nate sent Jake back to their parents and made his way down the the infirmary waiting room. It was way, way too big for the size of the medical facility, but it had been built as such for things just like this. The original waiting room had been very cramped. But this was one of their rituals. It was nice, for once, to be sitting the vigil for something happy.

The room was crowded, because everyone in the tower had already set up camp. Nat Barton was wearing a t-shirt that said Babuska on it and handing out blue candy cigars. She had a fondness for digging up old, tacky American stuff from the last century and finding someone who was still making them, though Nate couldn’t imagine where.

"It's not, like, blueberry flavored, is it?" he asked, sniffing it.

"I think it's cheap candy flavored," she told him.

Eshe appeared beside him and held out her hand. “I will take it. I like that flavor.”

He handed it over. "Of course you do.”

She bit off the end and chewed. “Yep. That’s about it.” She smiled at Nat. “Thank you.”

"You're very welcome," she said, moving on to the next person.

"She's taking the grandma thing well.”

“I imagine there is something isolating about being the only one of your friends not to have children. Even if you didn’t want any children. There are cultural experiences that you miss. Might make this more desirable to embrace.”

"Kate needs all the unadulterated support she can get, anyway. I don't think the pregnancy has been fun for her.”

“Women are expected to surrender their bodies when they get pregnant. It can be hard if you’re used to being very in control of yours.”

Nate nodded, leaning back in his chair. "I can see how that would be hard for Kate.”

“And in birth you reclaim yourself. Once the baby is out, others can help you carry the burden.”

He smiled. "Well, we may not be Wakanda, but she'll definitely have plenty of hands available to share the burden." He'd be loathe to admit it out loud, but he was looking forward to a little Uncle Nate time himself.

She munched her cigar a moment. “Do you want children?”

"I do," he said. "I like kids.”

She nodded, and said, “I hope you get them someday. I think you’d be good at it.”

"Thanks." He smiled and rubbed her back a little. "Have you ever thought about having them?”

“Perhaps someday. If I had a partner who could carry them. I would have to leave the Dora Milaje to do so myself.”  
That was sort of what he expected, so he just nodded as well. "I hope you get them someday. You'd raise some awesome little badasses.”

Eshe grinned. “I absolutely would.”

He rubbed her back a little more. "Wanna go join the poker game starting up?”

“Are you okay with me separating your friends from their money?”

"I'm sure they'll deserve it.”

_I don’t think she can beat you,_ Hiro told him. _You have a computer in your head._

_That's cheating._

_Is it cheating when Ada uses her brain? I’m in your brain._

_I don't think Ada argues with specific parts of her brain._

As they went to sit at the table, Eshe said, “I can see you talking to Hiro and I think that’s cheating.”

"If it helps, I agree with you," he told her, at the same time he pointedly thought, _See?_

_She knows you well enough to read your faces. She’s going to take all your money._

_Everyone knows my talking to you face._

Eshe herself had an unbreakable poker face, and the game made the origin of that name very obvious. She didn’t have a lot of ego, but she was always very honest. Promising to clean everyone out hadn’t been a brag, just a statement. Which turned out to be completely accurate.

"You are never invited to poker night," Peter told her solemnly.

“That is a fair assessment of the situation,” she replied with a smile, while counting her cash.

"Kate will be sorry she missed this," Nate added, shaking his head.

“Aight, you pansies, I’m dealing again,” Eli said, winking at Eshe as he shuffled the cards. 

He only got halfway through his deal when Tess appeared in the doorway of the waiting room in her scrubs. Everyone turned, and she grinned and held out two thumbs up.

There was a cheer and Nat went over. "How's everyone holding up?”

“Great. Your husband is a Jedi. Kate said you can come back,” she said to Nat.

She bounced a little on her toes and followed her back to the labor room.

"I'm guessing we'll be let in piecemeal in the days to come," Eli said.

From the ceiling, FRIDAY said, “If you want to wait a bit, Wyatt said he’d bring the baby out.”

"I'm waiting around for that," Kam said.

Everyone waited. Nate wasn’t even a little bit surprised. About five minutes later, Wyatt appeared in the doorway, cuddling a little bundle wrapped in a knit blanket - courtesy of Amanda, probably - and a mop of black hair sticking in all directions. 

Wyatt was grinning as wide as Nate had ever seen. “Hi all. This is Teddy.”

As far as Nate knew, they hadn't decided on a first name yet. It was very Kate to have to see the baby before picking something.

Kam and Raf went over to coo first and then they all took their turns so as not to crowd the baby. 

“This is it,” Peter said. “We’ve become the Grown-Ups.”

Nate nodded. "Truly, the torch has been passed.”

“Come a long way since life in the cells, haven’t we?”

"Those kids wouldn't even recognize us now.”

_I concur,_ Hiro said.

Peter smiled. “Life hasn’t turned out so bad, has it?”

He grinned. "Not bad at all.”


	9. Chapter 9

After Wyatt went back into Kate’s room, the crowd dissipated. It was 3 in the morning, a time when even the tower was usually quiet. Eshe came upstairs to his apartment with him. She didn’t sleep in hers very much at all, but it wasn’t something they discussed.

"I hope there's no global emergencies tomorrow," he said, stripping out of his shirt on his way to brush his teeth. "I think the whole team will be sleeping in.”

She came into the bathroom behind him. When he’d moved in, he’d thought it silly the bathrooms all had double sinks, but adult him liked it. Though she didn’t need the water. She cleaned her teeth with some some vibranium device that used sound waves or lasers or whatever they did. “I like your family.”

"The biological one or the team?”

That made her smile. “Both.”

He chuckled. "Well good. I'm glad.”

“The biological one explains a lot about you, though.”

"In a good way, I hope?”

“Aggressively well intentioned with an ability to talk about significant suffering like it was nothing much.”

As single sentence descriptions went that was both accurate and brutal. "I'm going to look into making that our family motto.”

“I have noticed the dark terms your team members speak of their recruitment in. You are so casual about yours, they are casual about it, too. It’s an interesting dichotomy.” 

He lifted a shoulder. "I was already in prison. I traded one for a less crowded one.”

“Join us or go to adult prison is as good as holding a gun to someone’s head. You had two years left on your sentence—legally they could have kept you in the juvenile prison.”

"They snatched Pete off the street," he said. "Told Eli he had to go or he'd be thrown in the brig. Threatened Kate with a big public trial in which her vigilante murder of the men who'd brutally raped her would be splashed on the front page of the paper. They fucked us all over. No point in making it a competition. Or lingering on it.”

“Most people struggle with that last part. It was just a piece that didn’t make sense. Now I see why you bounce.”

Nate smiled, rinsing his toothbrush off. "Always helps to have a good net to land on.”

She was quiet a moment. “Does anything ever get to you?”

He considered the question. "I have regrets. I second guess myself sometimes. But at the end of the day, what I can change or effect is limited in scope. I'd rather put my energy into getting through whatever is happening, rather than linger.”

“That’s probably a healthy way to look at it.” He couldn’t read her face—granted, most people couldn’t, but he’d gotten pretty good at it. But he got the odd sense it wasn’t idle questioning.  
"You okay?" he asked quietly.

Eshe smiled. “Of course.” She turned her head a little. “I was thinking of taking a shower before bed, you want to join?”

"The answer to seeing you wet and naked is always yes.”

_You know she’s using sex to distract you,_ Hiro commented, always a fan of stating the obvious.

_Yes. Thank you. I'm not an idiot._

_She’s taking her shirt off, I’m going to hibernate now. Good luck._

She had, in fact, taken her shirt off, followed by her pants. A side effect of her fantastic ass is that he’d never seen a pair of pants she didn’t have to wiggle out of. He never got tired of watching that little dance. Then she opened the shower door and turned the water on.

Nate slipped out of his pants, then reached out to stroke a hand down her bare back. She caught his hand, pulling him into the shower and under the spray. The grin she gave him was full and genuine. Maybe she was distracting herself, too. Maybe this was just how they communicated. 

He kissed her, letting his hands explore her. Her kiss might have been a little more desperate than usual, and he let his be a little gentler and comforting in response. She was worried about something, and he wanted to comfort her, even is she wouldn't tell him what it was. He lifted her up against the cold tile wall, and she whispered things to him in Wakandan when she came.

Afterwards, he carried her out of the shower, wrapping her in a thick fluffy towel after setting her on her feet. Then he wrapped his arms around her and held her. She put her head on his shoulder for a bit and just breathed. Finally she said, “We should probably sleep.”

"Mmm, yes. I'll make sure the alarm is off.”

She leaned back to look at him. “Thank you.” He didn’t think that was much about the alarm.

"Anytime," he told her sincerely.

*

Eshe went to the _Captain Rogers_ musical with Nate’s family. She wasn’t much of a theatre person, but it was a very good show. Jake had his treatments with Doc, and Nate was clearly delighted by how much better he was walking afterwards. They had a do-over of their night out, though Jake was given strict orders not to drink due to testing for the medical study. She went with Nate to drop them off at the airport.

It was domestic and intimate, and the entire episode should have carried a bunch of red flags, but she’d stopped looking to hard at things like that. Because she was happy, and didn’t want to think beyond that.

The weather got cold in a hurry, particularly when she got dragged back up to Ithaca for Thanksgiving, where it was already snowing. Azi joined her in griping about the temperature.

When they got back to New York, she managed to pick up a strain of the flu that was going around. Everyone in the tower got it, but it was one of those unfortunate strains that kicked the immune system into overdrive—the healthier you were, the sicker you got.

Like any good Dora Milaje, Eshe chose to simply pretend she wasn’t sick until it went away. Which is how she ended up fainting in the lobby while waiting for the elevator.

She came to in the med bay, with Tess standing over her, taking her vitals. "Nate's on his way down," she said when she saw Eshe was awake.

There was an IV in her arm, and she glared at it. “I’m fine, don’t bother him.” Her voice sounded terrible, and she had to pause to cough.

“Your temperature is 104,” Tess replied. “And that is an improvement over when they brought you up here.”

She did seem to be wrapped in something that felt very cool. “Fever fights the infection.”

"Fevers that high can also cause dehydration, seizures, and muscle inflammation, among other things. Plus fainting." She stuck a couple more pieces of tape over the IV insert, with a definite air of defiance. "You're stuck here for two bags and a round of anti virals. Then you can go back to your apartment with orders to rest.”

“I need to look after the Prince,” she said, having to stop and cough again. Her head really felt like someone had driven a spear through it.

“The Prince brought you up here. He's promised to stay in the Tower with Vision for the time being and you can discuss options once you're hydrated and on medications.”

She made an annoyed noise. She was a Dora Milaje. She was not taking orders from a small and unreasonably cheerful white woman. Except that she really couldn’t lift her head, and closing her eyes felt so nice.

She must have drifted a bit, because the next thing she was aware of was Nate's voice. "Is she behaving?"

"When she's unconscious she's an excellent patient.”

“I’m fine,” she muttered, even though it kind of hurt to breathe.

"Yeah, you look great." She felt him press a kiss to her forehead. "How do you really feel?”

If she looked half as bad as she felt, he was probably correct. She fought a silly urge to tell him she didn’t want him to see her like that. Because he was clearly already standing there. “I don’t want you to get sick.”

"I promise to wash my lips thoroughly. Also, we've seen plenty of each other since you got sick and I'm still fine.”

“I have to have two bags of the IV and then I’ll go back to work.”

There was a sigh she was sure came from Tess. Nate sounded amused when he said, "I've been ordered to take you home.”

“I feel like I should note I don’t take orders from any of you.”

"Do you _want_ me to call Azi down here? Or send a message to Wakanda and get your general on vid chat?”

That got Eshe to open her eyes. “The general will tell me to get my ass out of this bed.” She pushed up on her elbows. The room tilted and turned, but she didn’t pass out, and so tentatively sat up.

"Then I'll sick Doc on her," Tess offered. She fiddled with something and the back of the bed smoothly lifted to support Eshe's back.

“I’m not sure if you’re referring to me or my boss, but neither of us takes particularly well to lectures, intimidation, or snark.” Nate opened his mouth and she pointed at him so he wouldn’t say whatever it was while she was coughing. The cough was really appalling sounding. If she were home, she would certainly take sick time and someone else could look after Azi. But she was here, along, and she had a duty. “I appreciate the fluids and the meds and I will take the recommendation to go back to my apartment and get some rest as long as the Prince can accommodate that. But no one is ordering me or taking me anywhere.”

Tess and Nate exchanged a glance. Then she said very calmly. "I'll be back in half an hour to change your IV bag and inject the anti-virals." Then she left the room, tugging the curtain closed to give them privacy.

Nate looked down at Eshe. "I wasn't going to, like, fireman carry you.”

“You would not have survived the attempt.” On most days, that was true—she could absolutely and undeniably take him in a fight as long as he didn’t have his suit on. But today. . . today she probably couldn’t win a fight with his little brother. She could see by the look on his face he knew it, too.

"I think, maybe, possibly, you have a hard time letting other people take care of you.”

“I haven’t had anyone take care of me since I was a child.”

He stroked her head gently. "Think you could put up with it just this once?”

For a moment she thought about how nice that might actually be. Let him pick her up and carry her home and tuck her into bed. To have someone to lean on. And she leaned into his touch, just a little. “I don’t have space for weakness.”

"We are not on a battlefield. No one will judge you or think you're weak for being sick and eating some chicken soup. Even Eli gets sick now.”

She sighed. “It might not be a battlefield, but it is the most dangerous place the Prince has ever lived. Not that I’m a whole lot of use if I can’t reliably stand.” She didn’t like admitting that, and wouldn’t do it to anyone but him.

"He is surrounded by literal superheroes. If we have to, the whole team will escort him to class. We'll make it work.”

After a moment she sighed again. She really did feel terrible. “All right.”

"Thank you.” He kissed her forehead again. "You want company while you tank up? Or should I leave you to rest?"

She hesitated, then said, “I like your company.”

He nodded and settled in the chair next to the bed without further comment. She dozed again, and when her IVs were done and she’d had her shots—which made her feel worse—she was unhooked and told she could go.

"Can you walk?" Nate asked in her ear out of Tess's hearing.

“Yes,” she said succinctly, though it was a near thing. She leaned on him way more than she wanted to.

He tucked his arm around her waist as if this was a perfectly normal way to walk. "Your place for mine?”

“Mine. You can quarantine me in there.”

"I'll draw the X on the door myself.”

“Funny.” When they finally got to her bedroom, she stripped her clothes and climbed under the sheets. They were cool and crisp and suddenly she felt just completely exhausted. “I need to talk to Azi,” she mumbled into her pillow.

"How about after a nap?”

“Maybe,” she replied, and then she was out.

When she woke again, it was dark and the apartment smelled of spices and cooking meat. Prince Azi sat in a chair near her bed, feet propped up on the mattress, studying a school book.

She frowned at him a moment, then asked, “What are you doing here?” Her voice sounded terribly raspy.

"Keeping you company," he replied as if it was a thing he did all the time.

“I’m not dying,” she told him.

"I know. But Nate said you wanted to talk to me and it seemed simpler to wait a bit and see if you woke up.”

That was very. . .Azi. “I seem to be really sick, and I have no backup.”

"Yes, I know. I hope you don't mind, but I put a call in to my mother to inform her you'd been felled by a horrible white person disease. I will spare you the three minutes and eighteen seconds of small pox jokes.”

Fantastic. She’d really been hoping to report on this incident after the fact. Now she was going to get a call from the General to interrogate her about her symptoms. “Did she say they’d send someone?”

"No, she said she was happy to keep this to ourselves. Tess assured her the anti-virals would get you back on your feet quickly. Vision, Eli, and Peter are working out a rotation to watch me until then. If you take a turn for the worse or it looks like it will last more than a week or so, I'm to call back and reassess.”

Eshe sighed and closed her eyes again. “Thank you.”

"You're welcome. In return for this favor, please listen to the doctor and get some rest.”

“Our lives have now reached the point where you are giving me sage advice. I don’t know how I feel about that.”

"If it helps, you are not the only person it disturbs that I insist on growing older.”

He was. And very soon he wouldn’t need her anymore. There was a lot of sadness coming for her, wasn’t there? She didn’t want to think about it. “Is something cooking?”

"Mrs. Banner is on video chat, walking Nate and Ada through cooking _Bunyoro_.”

That sounded heavenly. And better than neither Vision or Azi were helping, because neither of them could cook, no matter how well intentioned they were. “He’s a good guy.”

"Nate is a very good man. And, I believe, strong enough to enforce your recuperation. He even speaks a little Wakandan.”

“I don’t know if any of those words are really fit for public company.”

He grinned. "I'll tell him not to say it around my mother.”

“I’m going to sleep a little more. Wake me when the food is ready.”

"I will be sure to do that." He picked up his book and resettled in his chair.

“You don’t have to sit in here. I’m not dying.”

"Do you want me to leave, or would you prefer company?”

“I’d rather not accidentally flash you, if I’m being honest.” She made a shooing motion. “Go.”

He chuckled. "All right, all right." He gathered his things and gave her an affectionate pat on the leg before leaving the room.

She drifted back to sleep, and was woken again by Nate coming in with a bowl of delicious-smelling stew. As she sat up gingerly, Nate said, “FRIDAY, raise the bed,” and then the back half of the bed tilted up like the infirmary bed had.

Eshe turned to look at it. “I didn’t know it did that.”

“They all do,” he replied. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged. "Doesn't come up much.”

She flopped back against her pillows. “I am disappointed you can’t conceive of anything interesting we of all people might do with a bed that changed shape.”

To her surprise, he wrinkled his nose. "Sorry," he said off her surprised face. "Just. . . the Grown Ups make a lot of off color jokes.”

He made another face that indicated Hiro was now repeating said off-color jokes. She shook her head and reached for the tray.

Setting it down on her lap, he perched on the edge of the bed. "Ada and Azi pronounced it almost perfect.”

It was, as it turned out. And she was suddenly hungry—she hadn’t eaten much lately. The heavy spices helped clear out her sinuses and the warm broth soothed her throat. “It is. Thank you. For. . . everything."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Any time. I like taking care of people.”

Of course. He did this sort of thing for everyone. If she kept telling herself that, maybe she wouldn’t have to think about her feelings. “This is really delicious.”

"It was the most tense cooking experience I have ever had. Violet is serious business.”

“You didn’t have to make this. But I really appreciate it.” She reached up to ruffle his hair a little.

"It was nice learning how to make something from your home," he said quietly.

“So you can make it later and remember me?” She’d intended it to be joking, but it didn’t quite come out that way.

His smile turned a little sad. "Something like that, yeah.”

She closed her eyes a moment, and then she finished her bunyoro. “Would you like to lay down with me?”

"I'd love to." He took the tray from her, then settled next to her, tucking an arm around her shoulders.

“You’re probably going to get sick,” she warned him as she settled in.

"I had my flu shot.”

She shifted to rest her head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat. It was a familiar, comforting sound. She was completely and entirely in love with this man, and had no idea what to do with that.


	10. Chapter 10

Despite the shot, Nate caught the flu from Eshe. He expected he would have no matter what, which he told her repeatedly when she apologized. He wasn’t nearly as sick as she had been, but she insisted on taking care of him in return. She made him chicken soup, and went out in the snow to acquire what she deemed acceptable butter from a fancy upscale grocery just to make toast, and then some Wakandan food.

It was only when she produced a casserole with tater tots on top that it dawned on him that she had clearly also acquired his mother’s phone number.

"All right, but if you roll out of the kitchen with a Jello salad it's over between us.”

“Jake tried to get me to make you one of those involving olives and. . . canned salmon, I think.” She was sitting cross-legged on the foot of the bed, eating from a bowl of her own with chopsticks. She hated forks, and had been delighted to discover alternate utensils.

"Jake used to love making weird mid-century foods and eating them. I'm convinced there's something wrong with his taste buds.”

“Brain injuries can change our perception of taste.”

"I know but when I said shit like that to him as a kid I got sent to the naughty step.”

“He’s a big boy who’s trying to feed you canned salmon. He deserves mockery.”

Nate grinned and ate the last couple bites of his casserole. "Thank you for the nursemaid duties.”

“It’s the least I could do.” She reached for the bowl. “If you feel up to it, while you were sleeping and I was cooking, Raf brought up a Christmas Tree for you. The living room smells like a holiday-themed candle.”

"Raf is an awesome friend. You wanna decorate it with me?”

“I am Wakandan. We decorate everything.”

"Then I will summon the energy to stand.” Usually he was one of the ones hauling Christmas Trees up 60+ floors for everyone. He took them up the outside in the suit, so Darcy wouldn’t have to listen to anyone whining about pine needles in the elevators. It was nice that it was still getting done.

Eshe knew nothing about how it was supposed to look, and was a good sport about his probably-too-technical explanations about how to properly string lights. It felt so normal and nice and. . . right. He pictured them spending the holiday together. Light a fire, curl up in the lights and put cheesy music on. Watch Christmas movies. Exchange gifts. Of course, she wouldn’t actually even be here. Azi was going back to Wakanda for his school break.

"I know you guys don't have Christmas," he said as they stood back and debated ornament placement. "But do you have any sort of winter/celebrate life/give presents kind of holiday?”

“We don’t have the change of seasons the way you do, being on the equator. The day variance from solstice to solstice is about 10 minutes. We have national and religious holidays. The change of the year is probably the closest, though that is more about parties and food. We have large celebrations for life events, and that’s where people give gifts.”

He nodded. "I think constant summer would get boring for me eventually. But I guess that's 'cause I didn't live in it.”

“I don’t know how you handle this cold.” She hung a red glass ball on the tree. “Your mother told me their high for the day in Minnesota was 28 degrees.” She looked at him. “Back home it is the _other_ 28 degrees.” 

"You sort of liked making snowballs in Ithaca," he reminded her.

“Well, you defrosted me quite well after that.”

He grinned at the memory. "Warming up is the best part of snow.”

She scooped up another ornament and hung it. “The right company makes a lot of crappy things bearable.”

"Even the flu.”

She smiled. “Even that.”

They added a few more ornaments. "What do you think? Sufficiently festive?”

“I think it looks as nice as a dead tree can.”

Nate shook his head, smiled. "You are the soul of holiday spirit, Eshe.”

“I have warned you repeatedly about my lack of a sense of romance, Nate.”

"And still I put up with you," he sighed, kissing her cheek.

She turned to put her arms around him. “I’m sure you find something about me worth the trouble.”

Hugging her, he swayed her gently back and forth. "I'll have to think about it.”

_I’m going to tell FRIDAY to play some Christmas music,_ Hiro told him. nearly immediately, _Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas_ came out of the speakers.

Sometimes it was really handy having a computer in his head. He tucked Eshe a little closer and started dancing with her properly. She put her head on his shoulder and said, “You should be resting.”

"It's fine, we'll just sway. Anyone can sway for a while.”

“And this you call dancing, correct?” He could hear the smile in her voice.

"This is like, high school dance dancing. All that's missing is spiked punch and a sweaty gymnasium.”

_I could have the room temp turned up,_ Hiro offered.

_Shush, this is fine._ He pressed a kiss the her cheek. "Wanna cuddle in bed and watch cheesy Christmas movies?”

“I have no idea what qualifies as a cheesy Christmas movie but I’m willing to trust you.”

He tucked an arm around her shoulders and guided her towards the bedroom. "Do you know what claymation is?”

He could tell from her face she didn’t. “Is that a food product?”

"It is not. It is a very old animation style. There's a bunch of Christmas movies done in it.”

Eshe ended up thinking Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was the cutest thing she’d ever seen, so he followed it with Frosty the Snowman. It was completely ridiculous, but somehow the nicest evening. Certainly the most he’d enjoyed being sick in his adult life.

If there was ever a point past which you could no longer pretend your relationship wasn’t serious, calling someone’s mother to make them childhood comfort food while nursing them through the flu was certainly it.

A few days later Nate was up on his feet and Eshe went back to Wakanda with Azi.

"Can I be your sad third wheel for Christmas?" he asked Peter that afternoon over a bowl of chips and an action movie.

Pete eyed him. “That bad, eh?”

He sighed. "If I go home there'll be a lot of questions I don't have answers to.”

“MJ and I have lots of questions, too. But I promise not to ask them.”

"You asking and my mother asking are very different animals. But I appreciate that.”

“Do you _want_ to talk about it?”

He sighed deeply. "I don't think it'll help. There's not much to say. She's leaving for good when Azi's done with school.”

“Seems you know the answer to those questions, then.”

"I suppose. Oddly it doesn't make the rest of it easier.”

Pete actually paused the movie. “Have you actually talked to her about it?”

"I haven't begged her to stay or anything, if that's what you're asking. I know the answer to that, too." Nate shook his head. "To be honest, even if she wasn't leaving I don't think she's interested in a long-term relationship with a man. She can't get pregnant and have kids without leaving the Dora and we both want them.”

“There are other ways to acquire children, you know.”

"I know, I know. It's just. There's a lot of obstacles.”

“There are always obstacles. But they are rarely as bad in real life as you think they are.” He looked over at Nate. “I never really told anyone this, but I kind of can’t. Have kids, I mean. My DNA is all fucked up. I needed to tell MJ and was pretty terrified. But it was actually fine.”

The information didn't surprise Nate, but made him a little sad. Another in the long list of things that Pete had been screwed out of deciding for himself. "MJ's pretty cool like that.”

“You work shit out. But you have to talk about it.”

"I know. I t's just. . . not something she wants to talk about.”

_I hate to state the obvious, but it’s not like you’ve asked._ Man, he did not need Hiro’s commentary on this right now.

But Pete didn’t push that issue. “Okay, then why are you still doing it? If you’re certain it’s not going anywhere, why stay?”

He paused a moment, then said quietly, "Because I love her.”

After a pause, Pete said, “That is kind of obvious.”

"I have not been putting much effort into hiding it.”

He grabbed a handful of the chips and munched on them. “She’s not exactly easy to read. Is it just casual and that’s it? You sure seem to spend a lot of time together.”

"I don't know. I think it's more than that. When I was sick she called my mom and got some of my favorite recipes to make." Of course, he'd kind of done the same thing with her, except Ada's mom because he was pretty sure Eshe's mom was a level of terrifying he wasn't prepared for.

“But you won’t talk to her about it because you know what she’ll say?”

"I think I'll make her uncomfortable and she'll freak out, in her way, and end things now. Much as I don't want it to end I'll take the six extra months.”

Peter sighed like he couldn’t find fault with that. “What a mess, man. I’m sorry.”

"Thanks. I'm just. . . trying to enjoy what I have and deal with the fall out when it comes. But her leaving for the holidays hit a little close to home.”

“You’re welcome at my Christmas. Aunt May is coming, so you won’t even be the 4rd wheel.”

Nate smiled. "Thanks, man.”

They went back to their movie after that. That night Nate’s apartment felt very empty. He sat on the couch staring at the Christmas Tree they’d decorated together for way too long. 

_I know you don’t want my opinion,_ Hiro said. _But you should tell her how you feel._

He sighed. "You're an AI. That I wrote. How can you give romantic advice?”

_If I had to guess, it’s that you think you should tell her, and I’ve become some bizarre manifestation of your subconscious._ There was a pause, then. _Also Vision swaps data with FRIDAY, who swaps data with me, and some of that data is feelings and opinions. He has his own amygdala._

"Huh." That was good to know. Vision actually had pretty good advice. "You don't think she'll freak out?”

_Has she ever freaked out once in her whole life?_

"Probably not. But I'm pretty sure she loves me too and that makes people dumb.”

_Honesty is almost never a bad idea. Every time we have gotten in some kind of serious trouble, it’s been because of lies._

Guilt trips from the voice in his head. Nate rubbed his neck. "I'll think about it.”

For the moment he was going to sleep in his big empty bed.

Christmas with the Parkers was reasonably fun, even if it did make him feel a little more lonely. He and Eshe exchanged a stream of texts, and a few video calls when she had a moment in her very busy schedule and it wasn’t two in the morning. He fought the urge to tell her that he would absolutely get up at two in the morning to talk to her.

It was nearly a month before she and Azi returned, and his apartment never felt any less empty.

He felt a bit like a fool, but he went down and waited on the Wife Line for them when their plane returned. When he came back from a mission, she was often on the Wife Line because Azi was there waiting for Ada. They exchanged significant looks, had a very charged elevator ride, and then had sex a few feet inside his apartment door. This would probably be like that. 

There were four of them on the jet, and when Ada came down the ramp she turned to call over her shoulder, “See, I _told_ you.” Azi and Vision shushed her in unison.

He was not going to let a college kid embarrass him. Especially when Eshe was the next to appear and grinned when she spotted him. He lifted a hand and waved. 

She waved back and came towards him. She didn’t take her eyes off him as she talked to Azi. “Either of you plan on going anywhere tonight?”

"Nope!" Ada said before Azi could reply. "Tucked in bed overcoming jet lag.”

“I’ll see you in the morning, then.” Eshe came close enough to touch him, but didn’t. She just stood there, two feet away, holding his gaze while the other three made their way out.

When he heard the elevator move he held his arms out for her. "Welcome back.”

She wrapped her arms around him and held on tighter than he expected. Her face was buried in his neck and it was muffled when she said, “Hi.”

He rubbed her back. "I missed you.”

She nodded, her arms tightened again, and he thought he heard, “I missed you, too.” And clearly she had. Perhaps as much as he’d missed her.

"Wanna head downstairs and celebrate your return?”

After a moment, Eshe leaned back and looked at him. “That sounds like a great idea.”

He kissed her then, because he was absolutely not waiting until the elevator or apartment. It had been a month that had felt like two. She made a little noise in the back of her throat that just about killed him as she melted into the kiss. It was good they were alone because this was not anything close to fit for company.

"Okay," he whispered when they parted to breathe. "Now let's head down.”

*

In the elevator, Eshe reached out and held his hand. It was a little thing, but she’d missed him, and didn’t want to stop touching him.

He squeezed her hand. "Did you have a good time?”

“I did. Azi was very busy. But I got to see my family and take a swim in the river.”

"How's your family?”

She laughed. “Loud. Nosy. As they ever were.”

He smiled. "I'm glad you had fun.”

The elevator opened, and he waved for her to go first. She pulled him after her. Halfway down the hall, Eli’s door opened and he stuck his head out. “Oh, hey,” he said to Eshe, then looked at Nate. “I assume no for poker?”

“He’ll be busy,” Eshe said before Nate could answer, and Eli laughed. 

"Catch you guys next time," Nate called before they ducked into his apartment. Once the door had closed behind him he tucked his arms around her. "You're more fun than poker.”

“I should hope so,” she said, swaying into him. “Unless there are things about poker you haven’t told me”

"Well, our nights get pretty wild.”

“Mmhmm.” She got her hands under his shirt, happy to touch his skin. He made a soft, contented sound at the touch and kissed her again, letting her taste a little desperation. She pulled his shirt all the way up and off, breaking the kiss for only as long as she had to. The entire time she was away, she’d tried to convince herself she didn’t miss him that much, that it wasn’t that bad. Now she was here, and she could almost feel the world righting itself again. 

He started moving, making her back up in the general direction of his room. They hit the wall just to the left of the door and paused there while Nate slid his hands into her pants and cupped and shaped her rear. She yanked her shirt off, taking the bra with it and flinging it somewhere. It was a little cold in his apartment, and it made her shiver.

His mouth pressed to her throat, just above her pulse point. "Cold?" he murmured into her skin.

“Yes,” she replied. Along the wall to her right there was a fireplace she was pretty sure was a hologram, but it was a very good one, and it put out heat. It came on with a whoosh and began crackling away. Eshe laughed out loud. “Oh, it is well past time for Hiro to avert his eyes.”

"He says he doesn't have eyes," Nate told her, kissing a line along her collar bone. "And he can still hear me when I talk to him directly.”

“It’s okay,” she told him, stroking her hands down his back. “I like the warmth.”

"Mmm. Are we about to have sex in front of the fire?”

“Dearest, I don’t care where it is as long as it’s soon.”

He chuckled and lifted her off her feet, turning to lay her down near the fire. He kissed a path down her body, dragging her pants off as he did so. She lifted up to let him, then pushed on his shoulders, until he sat back and she could climb in his lap. She didn’t have a lot of patience right now. 

He shifted her up long enough to undo his jeans and wiggle them down to free his erection, then tugged her back down on his lap to kiss her roughly. She went up on her knees a little to take him inside her, and sighed as she sank slowly down. His hands moved down her back to cup her ass and to move her, tugging her down hard enough she gasped.

The sound he made was something like a growl and his fingers dug into her ass. He lifted his hips, pressing up into her, making her gasp again. They pushed and rocked against each other, and holding on and sharing a messy kiss. It was hot and fast and intense, reminding her of the very first night he’d lifted her up against the door. “A little more,” she whispered, impressed she managed to get that out in English. “Please.”

He nipped her lower lip and slid a hand between them, swirling his fingers around her clit in perfect time. Just that little bit, and she could feel it crest and hang and break, flooding every inch of her with the kind of pleasure that made the whole world stop.

She sank into his embrace, feeling him shudder and the heat of his release spread through her. He fell back and she went with him, sprawled out on the soft carpet in front of the hologram fire. It was warm enough to be naked, and for a while they just lay there contentedly. Eventually she said. “It was such a long month.”

He rubbed her back. "Very, very long.”

If she never moved from this spot, she’d be happy. “I thought if I kept a little distance it would make things later. . . easier.’

"I don't think anything will make it easier at this point.”

Eshe sighed. That was almost certainly true. It already hurt if she thought about it too much. So she lifted her head and kissed him. He cupped the back of her head, the kiss slowly ramped up, until he swelled inside her again. Then he rolled them, flipping her onto her back. “Goddess, I missed you,” she told him as he hitched her leg up.

"I missed you, too," he whispered, cupping her leg to hold it up as he started to move inside her.

It was slower now. They took their time, less an explosion of lust and more a reconnection, a reminder of all the things they were beyond just this. She still scratched his back up good just the same.

Having to go into the bathroom afterwards to fix up the wounds you inflicted in your partner did suck a bit of the romance out of a reunion.

“It’s fine,” he insisted.

“I drew blood,” she replied, zapping the worst one with a small skin-sealing device she’d brought from Wakanda.

"I could tell you sex injury stories that would prevent you from looking anyone in the old team in the eye.”

“I’ve heard it few tales from Tess and MJ.” He had bruises, too, but they didn’t look too bad. “I’m still sorry.”

"It's all right, really. I'll wear them as badges of honor.”

She fixed the last one, and bent to kiss his skin. “You sure you don’t mind?”

"I promise," he assured her, turning to catch her mouth in a kiss.

“Sometimes I forget I’m stronger than you. I see you on TV in your suit picking up boulders.” She winced. “Sorry, I can’t imagine you want to be reminded of that.”

He shrugged. "If you being strong hurt my frail male ego I don't think we would have gotten past that first hook up.”

“I don’t know. You’re the first man I’ve slept with a second night.”

"They didn't know what they were missing.”

He was so sincere when he said that, and it made something in her ache. The end of this might hurt worse than anything ever had. She didn’t know how long she could live with that hanging over her head. But she didn’t want to think about that right now, so she kissed him instead. He sighed and slid his arm around her waist, tugging her down into his lap. "You hungry?”

She hadn’t felt hungry, but at the mention, her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten much on the plane. “I think so, yes.”

"Want to put on a modicum of clothes and see what's in the fridge?”

“FRIDAY, turn the temp up,” she replied, then grinned at him. “I don’t see why we need clothes.”

"You're brilliant, that's what you are.”


	11. Chapter 11

In the morning, she had to go to class with the Prince, and it was even colder than it had been in December. It was doing something outside called sleeting, which was melting and re-freezing rain. Like ice falling from the sky.

Upon her return, her day took a turn for the weird. The tower had acquired a. . . blue glowing woman with floating hair.

Nate had apparently had an entire meeting about it, because she was joining the team. 

“A sentient quantum singularity. Now I’ve seen everything.”

"The world is very weird," he agreed, shaking the pan he was using to fry eggs. He had apparently decided it was time for breakfast for dinner. "She's nice, though.”

“Did you ask her about your alternate lives?” Singularity—Vision had told Eshe that was her name—had been traveling between alternate universes and had lots of stories.

"A bit. Enough to know I have a few. Apparently in one I travel through time to prevent my younger self from becoming evil.”

“Do you succeed?”

"She left before she could find out.” He moved the eggs onto the plate next to the bacon, and then reached to take to toast out of the toaster. Eshe would have offered to help, but American food was not exactly her forte.

He was plating things when FRIDAY announced Kate was at the door. She came inside with her son in his sling. Teddy did not like being put down for much more than a minute. Round-the-clock holding was pretty common back home in Wakanda, but it was a task shared among one’s family. That was uncommon in America, but that was exactly what the team did. That baby was passed around so much Nate just assumed that’s why she was here, and asked, “Bringing him for a shift?”

“No, actually,” she said with a laugh. “He’s been out and about practically all day, I just got him back. I’m here because that ice storm is turning nasty up north and I think we need to be on standby.”

Nate sighed and made the face he made when he was talking to Hiro. "I'll eat quickly, then," was all he said. "Ada coming too?"

Kate nodded. "She swears it won't matter if she misses class tomorrow. Which means we'll have Vision, too. And maybe Singularity, though Darcy's not sure she wants the world to know about her yet.”

Nate shoveled some eggs in his mouth, chewed, and the asked, “I assume you’re not going?”

Kate looked down at her baby, then said, “I can’t see that I’d be much use in this particular situation.” She looked back up. “Eli doesn’t want to go if he can help it, because of Tess.” Tess who was very, very pregnant.

“Right, right,” he replied. “Well, if it’s my show I’d just as soon not be out in the dark in a storm with somebody I met this morning.” He ate bacon. “It’s been my show a lot lately.” It didn’t sound like a complaint, just an observation. 

"I know," Kate said quietly. "It's. . . a weird time right now.”

“It happens,” he said easily. “Though I could use Eli, this’ll be a brute strength sort of situation.”

Eshe looked at Kate. “When you spoke to Ada, did the Prince offer to come along?” She’d bet real money he had. He always wanted to tag along on Avenger things with Ada. Eshe nearly universally told him no.  
"Of course he did. I said I wasn't in the mood for an international incident.”

Eshe turned back towards Nate. “Assistance with local bad weather is pretty benign. He and I can join you if you need help lifting heavy things.” Even if going out in an ice storm was her very last idea of a good time. “I’d need to borrow come cold weather gear.”

The grin that was spreading over his face almost made it worth it. "We have a whole closet of gear." He glanced at Kate. "Is that okay?"

She shrugged and said, "It's your show.”

They went to bed that night on standby, and got woken up at 4AM because a freight train derailed off an icy track and was laying across a road, and emergency services in that state—Nate had said it was New Hampshire but she wasn’t completely sure which direction that was in—had requested their help. 

“I don’t understand why your trains are even _on_ rails,” Eshe commented as they headed down to the hangar. “That’s barely a step up from an ox cart.”

"We are not good about upgrading infrastructure," he told her. "No one gets to cut a ribbon on a track upgrading.”

“Why would you need to cut a ribbon?”

"People cut ribbons when they open something new. A new bridge, a new store. There's lots of pomp and circumstance and people get their name in the paper. Upgrading and retrofitting things isn't glamorous.”

“I get that part, but why a ribbon?” They opened the door to a chorus of voices, and she waved a hand. “Nevermind.”

Nate had requested everyone who could lift heavy things—Ada and Vision, her and Azi, Raf and Kamala, and Peter. “I’m excited about juggling train cars in a blizzard,” Raf said, and he sounded sincere.

"I had to talk him out of bringing the helmet," Kam said, so deadpan it was impossible to tell if she was serious or not.

“This is not a culture that appreciates ceremonial garb,” Eshe told him.

"I've noticed. Very boring. No sense of drama.”

“I’d think you’d be on our side,” Eshe said to Kam. “Your culture has plenty of color.”

“Spoken like someone who has never seen Asgardian Ceremonial Helmets,” Ada called.

Kam pointed. "She's right. Though if we're ever in a fight and need him to be a human target it's an eye catcher.”

“Everybody on the jet!” Nate called. “We’re on a schedule and Hiro is nagging me.”

Kam and Raf gestured in unison for Eshe to go first, following her up the ramp with the rest of the pack. Nate was standing near the front, where Wyatt was already doing his pre-flight check.

Nate turned to them all and said, “We’re swinging by Ithaca to pick up Doc Sr. on the way. We’ll be putting down outdoors so you all may want to bundle up now.” Eshe smiled because some of that was likely directed at her.

"Ooo, Doc Sr.," Kam said. "This will be fun.”

Eshe was amazed Wyatt was able to take off, fly, and then land in the very, very bad weather going on outside. But she knew he was from northern Alaska, so this sort of thing had to be normal to him, she supposed.

Amanda Newbury-Barnes boarded, wearing part of a blue Iron Man suit and looking rumpled. She had a very large thermos in one hand and duffle bag in another. "You all started breeding much quicker than we did," she muttered, ruffling Peter's hair and dropping a kiss on Kam's head.

“We started doing a _lot_ of things earlier than you did,” Peter commented.

"Don't get grim," she told him, then noticed Eshe. "You're the Dora?”

“I am.” She bent her head in greeting. “Eshe. I’ve met your husband.” When staying in the tower, he worked out in the superhero gym.

To her surprise, the older woman gave her the Wakandan salute and a traditional warrior greeting in relatively good Xhosa. Eshe grinned and responded in kind. She liked Doc Sr.

Amanda plopped in a seat and Wyatt took off again.

Nate wandered into the back once they'd leveled out and leaned over her seat. "You an icicle yet?”

“The suit I was given is quite warm, thank you.” She held out her arms. “I’m thinking of having one made in red for work use.” It was one of Ada’s many, many prototypes, though given how much shorter all the women were, she imagined it had been intended for one of the men. 

“I can’t believe you’re actually wearing the hood,” he said. He, and several others, had been trying to get her to wear a hat/cover her head/grow her hair, for the better part of the winter. To keep her head warm. She’d been adamant that it was something Dora simply didn’t do.

“It doesn’t belong to the suit, Kamala gave it to me. It is secure and does not impede my vision or range of motion.”

He nodded and touched the little hood. "She had them specially designed. Her combat hijabs. They now sell a couple versions for Muslim athletes.”

“It is, in fact, warm.”

“That’s the winter version,” Kam called from her seat. “There’s a summer one, too, but you probably don’t need that.”

"Apparently, it's very breathable," Nate told her conspiratorially.

“Not everyone has an air conditioned cocoon.”

"You leave me and my cocoon alone, it's awesome.”

“We’re coming up on the drop off,” Wyatt called. “Time to suit up."

Several of them stood up, getting into the last of their gear. Nate's suit wrapped around him with nanite tech similar to the Black Panther’s. Ada's suit was purple. Raf's version of "suiting up" appeared to be picking up a large axe.

They hovered and opened the back to let the fliers out, and then Wyatt found a place to land to let the rest off. It was bitterly cold outside, the sky still spitting sleet that coated every surface in ice. The train had derailed from a bridge that ran over a road, causing a car pile-up, and half the train was still up on the tracks. Eshe could see why they’d been called. You’d need some very big cranes in a narrow mountain pass. 

"Okay," Nate's voice came through her comm. "The second car back still had people stuck in it, so that's our priority. Doc, Kam, and Azi, you're on rescue control. Feel free to tear the car up if you need to. The rest of us are going to right the car closest to the ones on the track so it can be hauled away and free up the track for more engines to come up.”

“How are we dealing with the cheese?” Vision asked. Only he could ask that question without vocal inflection. Even Eshe couldn’t manage it.

“What cheese?” Nate asked.

“That’s not snow all over the road, it’s cheese. The train was carrying crates of cheese.”

You could hear muffled, suppressed laughter on the comm. “Hey, shut up,” Raf said. “People may have died.”

“No one’s died,” Doc said, sounding as exasperated as a human being could possibly sound. 

“Someone is going to have to shovel the cheese,” Vision said, spawning more laughter. Eshe wasn’t entirely sure it was a funny as they found it, but they were out in the cold in the middle of the night.

“Nate, you should do it,” Ada said. “Don’t people from Wisconsin love cheese?”

"I'm from Minnesota, don'cha know," he replied in an exaggerated version of his mother's accent. "We love snow and Vikings."

"I love you too, Nate," Raf replied, to more giggles.

"I feel like the cheese is pretty low priority," Nate said once they'd calmed. "Is it causing a hazard?”

“I don’t know,” Vision said. “Would you believe roadway covered in cheese is not in my hazard database?”

“Earth’s mightiest heroes, we are,” Peter muttered. There was more laughing.

"Ada, go assess the cheese for hazard levels."

"Why me?"

"Next time remember what state I'm from."

"You suck," she said, even as she was zipping towards the road. "I want Kate back."

"I know, I know, I'm not your real mom.”

“My real mom would never speak in that horrible accent,” Ada replied. “You sound like a Canadian Pop Star.” 

"I'm offended on three levels. Go shovel cheese.”

“I think it’s more Canadian Hockey Player than Pop Star,” Peter said. “If that helps.”

"I can skate better than I can sing," Nate said. "Vis, come here, can you get some leverage on this car?”

“On my way,” he replied.

Eshe went up to help free the train employees stuck in the one car—because that’s where Azi had been sent, and she was technically there just to watch him. Though she could help, so she did. Ada was now trying to report on the cheese hazards while the group of them negotiated lifting train cars. “Ada,” Eshe said gently, “Give them a minute to concentrate.”

"This is pretty much how it goes," Doc told her, using something on her suit to cut away part of the car door. "It helps. The banter, the silliness.”

“I’m not surprised, I spent enough time with them.” She and Azi peeled back the steel slide. “I could just tell Hiro was talking to him.”

“ _How?_ ” Nate asked, probably because he was well out of sight.

“You breathe differently.”

In unison, Kam and Ada said, "Awww!"

"Is there a problem, Nate?" Doc asked, in a tone that got all of the rest of them to shut up.

"No, we're good. He was just doing some calculations to make sure it was safe to sift the car.”

Eshe cleared her throat. “Sorry.”

"It's okay," he said warmly. "Good to know the breathing thing.”

She felt herself smile. “But I have to tell you. . . I’m on team Pop Star.”

"Don't make me put you on cheese duty.”

“Karen says Hiro says he’s bluffing,” Peter said. “He’d like to see your boobs again.”

"I draw the line at boob talk," Doc said, in what could only be described as "Mom Voice.”

“Fired,” Nate said, trying not to laugh. “You’re all fired.”

*

It took the better part of the day to get the train tracks and the road cleared. The cheese had been grated, and gotten everywhere and over everyone. The entire flight home smelled like parmesan. 

“Leave me your suits,” Ada told everyone. “I’m going to have to run them through the sanitizer.”

"Just burn them," Doc said. "And remind me not to eat pasta for at least a month.”

The regular team all kept a change of clothes on the plane, so they could get out of their wet and/or cheese infested gear. Doc had something under her armor, and Ada dug out Eli’s spares to put on Azi. None of the women’s clothes would really fit Eshe, something Nate felt bad about. He could tell she was cold even though she insisted she was fine.

He brought her a pair of Tess's sweatpants and one of his sweatshirts, plus a pair of thick, hand-knit Doc socks. "The pants will be too short but the socks should make up for it.”

“I am fine,” she told him. He couldn’t help but notice her insistence on honesty rarely trumped her unwavering need to never look weak.

"I'm sure you are, but wouldn't it be nice to not smell like dairy products.”

“Not enough to wear pajamas in public.”

"Not even the socks?" he teased, plopping down next to her.

“These are good boots, my feet are dry.” 

He shook his head, but gave up and put the clothes down on the seat next to him. "Thanks for coming along.”

“It was fun. Nice to see what you do.”

"Sometimes it's a little more death defying. Less cheese. But this was a fun one.”

They dropped off Doc in Ithaca, the blast of cold air getting Eshe to put a shock blanket around her shoulders to try and warm up. Nate was surprised when Vision reached over and held out his hand in front of her. It began to glow and radiate heat at her he could feel sitting next to her. He hadn’t known Vision could do that.

"We have useful friends," Nate commented as they cruised towards the city.

When they landed, everyone left their gear behind for Ada to deal with tomorrow and trudged towards their apartments. Not wanted the cheese to spread like the glitter infestation she’d once told him about, Nate herded Eshe to the armory/prep area off the hangar. It had showers.

"Want me to scrub your back?" he asked, half joking as he helped her peel out of her damp armor.

She nodded, and shivered in the open air. Her teeth actually chattered. However tightly she held herself together when she was working, she didn’t do it in front of him anymore. Not even a little bit.

_Get the hot water flowing, buddy,_ he told Hiro. The rest of them talked out loud to FRIDAY, but he'd long since gotten used to just talking to the voice in his head. Sure enough, a heartbeat later he heard the water go on.

"Come on, baby," he told Eshe, crouching to untie her boots. "Hiro's got it set to lava flow, just how you like it.”

She made a happy humming noise. “You know me as well as I know you.”

"I do. We're under each other's skin.”

Once he got her under the spray she just stood there, letting it pour down on her and warm her. He shouldn’t just stand there and stare, but she really did look like a goddess right then. He indulged a moment or two longer, then got a handful of soap and stepped closer, rubbing it into her skin until it foamed up. That got him a contented sigh, and he could feel her relaxing. The suit they’d given her was fabric, one for warms and protection. It did not have hydraulics like his did, so all the lifting she’d done had been by muscle power alone. She had to be exhausted.

He dug into her muscles with his fingers and the heels of his hands, rubbing soreness from her shoulders and arms. "Warmed up?" he murmured.

She answered him in Wakandan, but it sounded positive. After a moment she turned around and hugged him, and said, “You did good tonight.”

He smiled and kissed her shoulder. "Thank you. I do okay when it's my show?”

“The team functioned very smoothly. I’d follow you into battle. Cheese and accents not withstanding.”

"The cheese and accents help," he told her, rubbing her back in wide circles. "We were kids when we first fought. Scared shitless. The only reason we're alive is because the Grown Ups are decent people. They taught us about banter. Whistling past the graveyard so the ghouls don't know you're scared.”

“Are you still sometimes?” she asked. “Scared?"

"Of course. If you're not scared you're not paying attention.”

“I am, too,” she replied. “Of more things than I used to be.”

"Well," he said, kissing her shoulder. "You're paying attention.”

She turned her head to kiss his skin. “How private is it in here?”

"Are you asking if we can christen the gear room?”

She ran her fingers down his spine. “Certain parts of your anatomy clearly think we should.”

He chuckled. "It is a time honored tradition.”


	12. Chapter 12

It wasn’t their usual, frantic, post-mission sex. The day had been long and draining, and it was an exercise in connection as much as anything else. It was slow and quiet, but the same magic they always had.

Afterwards she put on the scrounged clothing she’d called pajamas without complaint, including the socks. “The socks I may be keeping,” she informed him.

"Doc keeps us freshly stocked," he assured her. "Suck up to her a bit you'll probably get your own pair. I think Azi has some.”

“I won’t have much of a need for them soon, I suppose.” She sounded a little sad when she said that, for someone who hated the cold.

He pressed a kiss to her temple as they walked to the elevators. "London is cold.”

“We’re not going back to London, this is his last year abroad. In the spring we go back home. He starts his training and I get sent wherever they send me, which will be somewhere in Wakanda.”

Nate was quiet a moment. "What else do Dora do? Besides protect the royals?”

“That is what we do. If the kind goes into battle we will all go with him, though that’s been a while. We also guard other members of government and the Wakandan embassies. It’s possible they could send me to one of those, but very unlikely. Particularly now.”

The elevator doors opened as they reached them and he mentally thanked Hiro. "Why particular now?”

She sighed as she stepped inside. “You.”

He tilted his head. "I thought they didn't really know about me.”

“We have very good spies,” she said. “I assume. Or Azi or Ada or Azi’s mother or sister said something. Not a lot of reserved people in that bunch. I don’t know, I didn’t conduct a whichhunt. But it is. . . known.”

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know you wanted to avoid that.”

“I told them it was just just a dalliance. Convenience, really. So I could stay in the building.”

"Did they buy that?”

“I wouldn’t have.” The elevator doors opened again on his floor. They hadn’t discussed where they were going, or that they were going together. They just did it.

He took her hand as they walked to his door. "So you're going to get, what, demoted 'cause you hooked up with me?”

She didn’t reply until she got inside. “Absolutely no one cares who I fuck.”

It took him a moment to follow the logic. In his defense, it had been a long day and he was tired. When it clicked he look at her and smiled sadly. “Ah."

He could see her swallow. “This is only going to get worse, isn’t it?”

He inclined his head. "Maybe. Though I imagine after a certain point it doesn't really matter.”

Eshe closed her eyes. “We’re tired. There will be a better time to talk about this.”

"Definitely." He kissed her. "Come on, let's go get some rest.”

She stripped out of everything but the socks, and they curled up under the blankets. Eventually she murmured, “Thank you for taking me along today.”

He tightened his arms around her, tugging her against his chest. "It was a pleasure having you on the team.”

She made a contented noise, and he could feel her drift off. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and closed his eyes.

The cold winter continued unabated. They had more weather-related missions that sometimes Azi and Eshe came on. ‘Go shovel cheese’ became team slang for ‘fuck off’. In early February, Hiro woke him up in the middle of the night to tell him all hands were gathering in the infirmary to await Tess and Eli’s baby.

Everyone assumed first babies took a while, so no one ran, and by the time Nate and Eshe got downstairs, the little girl—named Kezia Joy Bradley—had made her appearance.

Tess, with all the cheer and energy of a woman who’d only spent 126 minutes in labor, invited everyone to come into her room and meet the baby.

“I hate you,” Kate told her dryly, “And I’m thinking about firing you.”

"Y'all knew I was efficient when I came on the team," Tess retorted, dozing new born tucked against her breast. Nate was running out of teammates he had not seen topless.

“My mother is on her way,” Eli said. “She promised not to bring the whole neighborhood.”

"So only half the neighborhood?" she replied and she didn't sound like she was kidding. She looked down and carefully shifted the baby away from her. "I think she's really asleep if you want to pass her around.”

Of course they did. Everyone liked to hold newborns.

In the early part of their relationship, Cassie had texted Nate a picture of Eshe wearing the littlest Bennett in a baby wrap and made a joke about biological clocks. He’d chuckled and not thought much of it. Eshe took shifts with Teddy like everyone else, tying him to her back in the same wrap. He liked it, even if it did stir a small pang.

But there was something about watching her rock and murmur in Wakandan to this tiny biracial baby that just punched him in the gut.

He took his turn, though his heart wasn't as in it as he might have been a few minutes ago. She was a beautiful baby, especially for a newborn, and that ache in his gut only got worse. He handed her off a bit quicker than he might have.

She woke when she got to MJ, who promptly sang one of the show tunes that tended to drop Teddy like a rock. It worked equally well on the newest member of the gang and she was promptly handed back to Tess.

_The Bradley Brigade has arrived,_ Hiro informed him.

"We might want to clear the room," Nate said, proud of his steady tone. "It's about to get crowded.”

Everyone filed into the hallway. Eshe reached out at took his hand. She squeezed it very tightly. He held it as the walked, letting the rest get ahead of them. Then he tucked an arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight to him. “You okay?” she asked quietly.

He nodded, though it wasn't entirely true. "Just. . . stung a little. You know?”

“Yeah,” she replied after a moment. “Yeah I do.”

"You okay"?" he asked.

There was a stretch of silence, then she said, “No. Not really.”

His arms tightened on her. "Yeah. I know.”

They didn’t say anything on the way back upstairs. The others were going for breakfast, but he made some sort of excuse. Back in his apartment, she stopped and stared out the big windows at the city. “Maybe we just shouldn’t do this anymore.”

"I. . . what?" he could hear the thread of panic in his own voice. "You want to stop?”

“I can’t contain this anymore. I mean I keep pretending, but I. . .” She put her hand over her chest. “I can barely keep it inside anymore.”

Moving to stand by her, he fought the urge to touch her. "Keep what inside?”

“Things I feel.” She put her hands over her eyes. “Maybe it would hurt less if we stopped.” He could hear the catch in her voice.

He couldn't stand it any longer, reaching over to rub her back. "We'd still feel it. We'd still see each other. You live a few floors down, you come on missions. Do you really think it would hurt less to feel this way and not be together when we _could_ be?”

“At this point I think it’s just a matter of when it hurts. I feel like it will be _worse_ later.” She hunched her shoulders. “But I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never left someone I loved before.” 

With a gentle tug, he got her close enough to hug. "I love you, too," he said quietly. Maybe it was a moot point, but it felt worth saying.

She rested her cheek his shoulder. “We’re just going to break each other, Nate.”

"I know." He'd known that from the beginning. "But I'm happy when I'm with you. And I'll love you whether you walk away today or in a few months. I'd rather steal the happiness when I can.”

“I’m sorry for all of this.” She made a little sniffling noise, and with a start he realized she was crying.

"It's not your fault," he told her, rocking her a little. "It is what it is." He kissed her temple. "I knew what I was getting into.”

She took a shuddery breath. “I didn’t.”

He rubbed her back again. "Having regrets?”

“I regret not being more honest with myself earlier.”

"I can understand that." He was quiet a moment. "Have you thought about. . . staying?”

Eshe sighed. “I have a job to do.”

"You just said at the end of the school year it was done. And you'd be sent somewhere else anyway.”

She leaned back to look at him. “Job was probably the wrong word. Being a Dora Milaje is a lot more than that. I can’t just call and say, ‘Hey, I quit’.”

It was the answer he'd expected. The answer he'd been telling everyone, including the voice in his head, that he would get. It was disappointing, none the less. "Well. If you ever change your mind, you have a place here.”

“I can’t imagine you’d leave everything and follow me, if I asked. Would you?”

"I've thought about it," he admitted. "But I don't think it would work out for me any better than it would for you.”

She closed her eyes. “Probably not, no.”

Which was the outcome he'd known from the start. He'd assumed she'd seen it coming, too, but then, she'd been very adamant about not getting emotions involved. Maybe she had convinced herself it wouldn't hurt in the end. "You want to go lay down? Catch a couple more hours of sleep?”

She looked up at him and was quiet for such a long time that doubt started to creep in. Maybe she’d really meant it, and she would turn around and walk out because she thought it would be easier. And then he might just stop breathing entirely.

Then she hugged him again, and he felt her nod. He held her a bit too tightly, relief flooding through his veins. Then he crouched a little, scooping her up in his arms to carry her to bed.

*

It was nearly noon when Eshe stirred. When she realized how much light was coming in the windows, she asked FRIDAY to confirm the Prince was still in the building. The conversation woke Nate. 

She felt oddly at peace. The spring was going to be awful. There was no avoiding that. “I think you were right,” she whispered.

His fingers trailed along her arm. "About not ending it early?”

“Might as well enjoy what we have. Make some memories to keep us warm at night."

He smiled a little and leaned over to kiss her. "Can I tell you I love you?”

“You told me last night, I think the horse is out the bag.”

"I know, I just didn't know if repeating it would make you-" He stopped. “Horse?"

“See, this is why they tell you not to try using American idioms. There’s an animal in a bag and you let it out. I thought I was a horse. Not that that makes any sense, but none of them do.”

"Cat. Cat out of a bag. Alternately, horse out of a barn. Though that's usually 'closing the barn door after the horses have escaped.’"

“Ah. Sorry. And I am still a fan of not hiding things.”

He smiled and nodded, then kissed her. "All right. Good. I liked saying it.”

She snuggled into him. “Let’s just. . . try to be happy.”

"You do make me happy," he told her, rubbing her back. "And I like making you happy.”

Eshe was a fan of trying to live in the circumstances you were living in, and felt lighter, less weighed on, once they’d finally talked about it. She was going to be heartbroken at the end of this. Might as well make it worth it.

A bunch of people came down from Ithaca to meet Singularity, their newest and most unusual team member. Which prompted Darcy Bennett to corner Eshe in the gym to say, “I don’t know what your deal is, none of my business, but you haven’t slept in your apartment since December and I need it.”

Eshe frowned. “FRIDAY is not supposed to be tracking my location.”

“I’m not,” the voice from the ceiling said immediately. “Hiro gossips.”

Eshe found herself wondering if she could harm Hiro without hurting Nate.

"Look," Darcy said. "We can have it cleaned and you can move back in once the horde retreats, but I need the bed next week. Help a girl out.”

She held up her hands. “I have no objections. As long as there isn’t going to be a too-excessive amount of teasing generated by this.”

"Anyone gives you a problem I'll handle them.”

She went upstairs after her workout to catch Nate before Azi left for class. He was in his office—not the formal one he probably had somewhere in the building, but the one he’d made out of his apartment’s second bedroom. It had blackout drapes, a big leather recliner, and a wall of monitors that made it look like an evil villain’s command center. 

Half the screens were covered in code, the others with colorful moving blocks. “Are you playing Tetris?”

“The laundry bot is playing Tetris. I’m testing its reasoning skills.”

She stared at him. “You put an AI in the laundry bot.”

"It needs more discrimination in its sorting process." She continued staring. "It shrank a pair of my socks.”

“I would never let it have my nice socks.” He’d insisted the hand knit wool socks she’d gotten on the ice storm mission could go in the automated laundry, but she didn’t believe it. “Though I know Tess would love it if it learns not to mangle bras.” Nursing mothers went through a lot of them. Eshe learned a lot of random things at girls night.

"When I'm done I'm hoping it won't mangle anything. Raf likes to toss two hundred year old linen shirts in there sometimes.”

“And now the other AI’s will have someone new to gossip with.”

He smirked. "Hiro may have made some jokes about one who could literally air our dirty laundry.”

“Darcy is kicking me out of my apartment. Apparently I sleep here too much.”

Nate blinked, then laughed. "Yeah. . . yeah she does that." He glanced upwards. "Did you tattle on us?”

“He did,” Eshe confirmed. “So I’m going to be bringing my stuff up here.”

"Okay. Do you need a hand?”

“I would not say no.”

He nodded and several of the screens blinked off as he stood. "Do I need the suit?”

She laughed. “God, I hope not.” She could carry it all herself, but if he came there would only be one trip. And, you know, she liked his company.

"I don't know, I've done a lot of box heaving the last year or so." He followed her out into the hallway. "I don't assume anymore.”

“You don’t mind, do you? I didn’t get much of a choice.”

He waved a hand. "I'm happy to help. Really. It'll be nice having to have your stuff nearby so you don't have to keep running back and forth. And hey, technically you're closer to Azi.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” She bumped his shoulder. “That’s the main thing really.”

"Obviously. It's a wonder you didn't do it ages ago.”

They got everything upstairs just in time for FRIDAY to tell her that the Prince was ready to leave for his class. She stole some food from Nate’s fridge and ate it in the car as they drove.

“I wanted to tell you,” she said. “With all the people coming, Darcy has asked me to vacate my apartment because she needs the space. And I am not, well, there much.”

His brows arched. "So you will be moving in with Nate?”

“It didn’t seem worth fighting over, she does need the space. I can have it back after the temporary guests leave.” She paused. “Unless you have objections.”

"Perhaps you have noticed where I spend my nights? I'm not one to judge.”

She sighed a little. “We must enjoy the time we have.”

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I am glad he makes you happy. For as long as we have here.”

Eshe was quiet a moment, then asked, “Do you talk about it?”

"A bit." He smiled fondly. "Ada is very optimistic. She thinks there's no problem that cannot be solved with enough force of will. I am more realistic, but I think it gives her hope.”

“You are young,” she said. “You have time.”

"Are you very old?" he teased her gently.

“Compared to you, I am nearly expired.”

"I shall select a very nice retirement community for you," he promised.

“I’m sure there’s a farm somewhere for the Dora who have been put out to pasture.” Though she expected, when she retired, she’d go back and live with her family. Dora tented to retire relatively young, perhaps 45 or so—unless you went into some sort of command position. That had never been Eshe’s speed. She’d always imagined by that time she’d have young children and be eager to start the next phase of her life. Funny now she was starting to picture it alone.

"You're not as old as you feel, Eshe," Azi said as they pulled up in front of his school. He reached over and patted her cheek gently. "Don't give up all hope.”

She gave him a nudge. “Go.”

After another little squeeze to her shoulder he slipped out of the car, hitching his bag up his shoulder.

The extra guests came, and they departed. Eshe didn’t bother moving back downstairs. It wasn’t worth it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a large posting gap. Trying to get the timing synced up with The Girl With the Weight of the World, which overlaps this. If you want more detail on the Asgard battle and how Ragnarok manifests in this universe, you should read that one, too. The most recent chapter containing the battle itself just went up today.
> 
> In return for the delay, please enjoy some smut. (After the zombie decapitation, of course)

Winter began to show signs of abatement. Temperatures warmed, flowers started to bloom, the days slowly lengthened. Then on the equinox, the first official day of spring, it snowed.

Eshe trudged with Azi to class. When they got back the team was gearing up for a mission, which she initially assumed would be about the weather, but turned out to be something so, so much stranger.

Apparently there was some sort of political coup happening in Asgard that might, somehow, lead to the end of the world and now everyone who could handle fighting an Asgardian was suiting up to go.

Which included Ada in her vibranium suit. Which meant Azi was about to lose his damned mind.

“You cannot go up and get involved in a battle on Asgard,” Eshe told him.

"Ada is going," he said, as if that explained everything.

“Are you going to somehow protect her in ways her vibranium suit can’t?”

"I'll have my own vibranium suit. And more fighters can only be an asset.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “You have a prototype that’s still in testing and no training. And I certainly don’t have a suit.”

Ada came over, in her suit save the helmet part. “Technically, the suit you’ve been wearing when you come on missions is laced with vibranium. But it’s meant to stop a lead bullet or a steel knife, not Moljnir.” 

"You don't have to come," Azi said and she seriously considered hitting him.

"Azi," Ada said gently. "She's right. You should stay here.”

Across the room, Thor was trying to get everyone organized. Vision had been talking to him, but came now to join the discussion Eshe was in. “Miss Ada, you are still a fragile human inside your suit. Perhaps it would be a good idea not to go fight a god.”

"Nate is a fragile human in a suit and he's going. Tony was an _extremely_ fragile human in a suit and he took on Thor when they first met. I love Asgard, I'm going.”

He looked at her a moment. “Right.” Then he looked at Azi. “You’re not going to talk her out if it.”

“He’s not trying to,” Eshe said. “He wants to go.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” Vision replied.

"That's what I said!" Ada chimed in, spreading her arms.

"Ada-"

Nate stepped forward and caught Azi's arm. "Can I talk to you over here a moment?”

They walked out of earshot—at least out of Eshe’s. Vision could probably still hear them. She watched them a moment. “He goes, I go,” she said to Ada and Vision. “I think it’s suicidal but it is literally treason for me to not get between him and whomever he’s fighting.” She sighed, looked at Ada. She really didn’t want to die today. “Do you have anything in your workshop that might protect my head and neck better than the borrowed hijab?”

She chewed her lip a moment, then nodded. "I have some helmets I can modify. It won't take long.”

“Thank you.”

A few minutes later, Nate and Azi returned to the group. The Prince caught Ada's face between his hands and kissed her deeply, bending her back a bit. When he lifted his head he said fiercely, "Don't die," before turning to Eshe. "I will be in the lounge studying," he informed her, before stalking off.

Eshe exhaled. Vision went back to Thor to update him, and a moment later Thor called for everyone to be in the hangar for transport in ten minutes.

Nate touched her arm. "I will also try not to die.”

She looked over at him. “I did not think you required orders from me on that.”

"No, I've been doing it all on my own for a while now.”

“What did you say Azi?”

"I explained that being in a battle with someone you love is distracting. And when you have training, you learn how to ignore that distraction and push through to finish the mission. But he didn't have that training and neither does Ada. So if he went, he was going to get himself killed, but first he was going to get you and Ada killed.”

“That is very sound logic.” She just watched him a moment. “Thank you.”

"You're welcome. I understand where he's coming from, but sometimes you can't go with your heart.”

She sighed. “Isn’t that the truth.”

He rubbed her arm and kissed her. "I love you. I'll see you when I get back.”

“I love you, too.” It was nice to say it, at a time like this. She took a deep breath, and a step back. “ _Yibambe_.”

Smiling, he gave her the Wakandan salute and walked off.

*

Technically, Thor was probably the leader of their little expedition. But he clearly had much bigger things to worry about, such as leading an entire army and hand-fighting the Goddess of Death. The Avengers were Nate’s problem.

Hela had brought with her an army of the undead. Zombie, not vampire. They were dumb enough Vision could mind-control them into walking right off the side, though he was too busy helping fight Hela herself to do it much.

It was like a bad Boss Fight where the evil NPC’s spawned endlessly, climbing right out of the ocean the bifrost bridge was over. But like any good zombie/poor designed NPC, they were melee only. As long as Thor and Vision had Hela’s attention, Nate and Ada were untouchable outside of arms reach.

Put aside the very real possibility of death, and it was a live action video game. And honestly, his team had a blast. Peter would wrap a bunch of them in web and the two of them would bowl with it. Raf would toss them up in the air for Ada to shoot.

“They’re not all new spawns,” Kam said from her spot on the ground. “They don’t drown, so I think they’re climbing back up.”

“I’m telling you,” Ada replied. “We need to take the heads off.”

Logically, she was probably right. If Vision could mind control them then there had to be some sort of brain in there to control. "All right, you heard the lady. Let the decapitations begin."

Kam made a noise that sounded like “Whee!"

“I have an idea,” Peter said. "It might be kind of gruesome—but like if I strung a thin web between Nate and Ada, you guys could garrote them in a row.”

"That is very gruesome," Nate said.

At the same time Ada exclaimed, "Let's do it!"

He sighed. "I'm turning this into a horror novel when we get home, I just want you all to know that.”

“They don’t bleed,” Raf said. “It’ll be like trimming a hedge with a weed whacker. You want to talk about gruesome, I’ll tell you about some stuff they did in the Middle Ages.”

"Later. Pete, spin your line.” A growling noise caught his attention, and when he looked up there was a 20 foot high dog charging up the bridge at them.

"Fuck," he said, Ada's voice echoing the same word in his head. "Banner, you got any big guns on that suit?”

“Always,” she replied, somehow managing to say that exactly like Tony Stark. Missiles sprouted from her shoulders and her waist. “Bombs away!”

Well, that distracted his other flier, so the garroting was probably off the table. He found himself a good spot and started picking off zombies with head shots. "Apparently, we should have brought a sniper with us.”

Ada shouted that she was running out of ammo, but before anyone had any useful suggestions, Singularity appeared from somewhere, tackled the dog, and went right over the side.

After a beat, Nate said, "Well, that's one way to deal with it."

He watched Vision helping the Odinson brothers with the scary Death goddess and decided their job was still crowd control. "Okay, let's get operation garrote take two.”

It worked pretty well. From the back end of the mob, Thor was zapping them with lighting and Loki blasting them with ice. Singularity tamed the dog and then swallowed Hela and sent her to another dimension.

They killed the last of the zombies, and then it was finally over.

The two teams met up in the middle of the bridge, Nate and Ada landing neatly beside the rest of them. "Well. That was different.”

“What happened to your eye?” Ada’s helmet peeled back and she ran over to Thor—who did in fact seem to have lost or severely damaged one. He was also holding what Nate realized was the shattered remnants of Moljnir. It was right then very obvious just how very dangerous this had been.

Thor waved a hand at it. "Hela's swords. It's all right, it barely hurts."

"You're a terrible liar, brother," Loki commented.

“From you that’s a compliment,” Ada replied. 

He looked over at her. "I see why Syn likes you.”

Everyone made their way back to the palace. There had been some deaths among the Asgardians soldiers, and lots of injuries, but it had gone far better than it could have. Having been in the ground fighting, Raf was pretty battered and bloody. The gash on his head would probably need stitches, if Asgardians did that sort of thing. Kamala didn’t have so much as a scratch on her.

“I guess she really is indestructible,” Peter said, coming up beside Nate.

"Seems like it." He looked down at him. "You okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said.

 _Karen says at least one of his ribs is broken,_ Hiro piped up immediately. He knew to stay quiet while Nate was fighting unless asked for something—part of why he’d been put in Nate’s head in the first place is so there wouldn’t need to be running chatter like Tony had with JARVIS and FRIDAY. Nate’s brain effectively controlled the suit just like it did his own limbs. He chose to fly and it flew. 

But the fight was over, and so he was free to tattle.

Nate sighed and scanned for Thor, spotting him talking to his Asgardian soldiers. "Hey Thor! Will your healers look at us or should I drag these idiots back to Tess?"

"Syn's a healer," Ada piped up.

“You can and should send Raf to our healers, but they may be baffled by humans. You can ask Syn, though. She’s Alfan.”

He brought Raf with him in the interest of simplicity. Singularity found Syn for them, who obligingly healed Raf and Peter, using Mom Voice and a lot of glowy gold light. "You were all very brave," she told them and he was pretty sure she was being sincere, though she was apparently dating Loki so who could tell.

“Kam and I are going to stay here for a few days,” Raf told him. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been home.”

Nate nodded and looked over at Singularity. "Can you take the rest of us home? We have people waiting and I think the battle high is gonna wear off soon."

"Of course," she said brightly. "I told Raf and Kam I'd bring Nazzie up for them. I'll take you down first."

He looked back at Ada and Peter. "Ready to head out?”

“Where’s Vision?” Ada asked.

“He’s helping clear all the zombie bodies off the bridge,” Singularity said. “I’m going to be a shuttle service for a bit—the bifrost got blown up in the fight and all. He’s staying with me.”

“Good,” Ada said emphatically.

Nate decided to explore that later. Especially because in the next instant they were swept away by darkness only to reappear in Ada's apartment. 

It was the right place to bring them, apparently. There in the living room, on that weird circular couch by the fireplace, were Azi, Eshe, and MJ. . . and what looked like a whole lot of booze. 

"You're back!" MJ cried, sounding delighted and drunk. "And not all deadified.”

“Ada!” Azi yelled, entirely too loudly, and swayed when he managed to stand up. If he was drunk, they’d broken out the Wakandan booze, or even raided Thor’s mead.

Eshe grinned up at him languidly. “Hello, my love.”

Yep, definitely broke out the hard stuff. "Hi, honey, we're home.”

“We couldn’t take the waiting,” MJ said. 

“Others were here,” Eshe said. “But by 2AM it was just us. Those with the most to lose.”

Ada had gotten out of her suit and come over to disentangle Azi from the couch. “I’m glad I didn’t go and cause you to die,” he told her with apparent sincerity.

“I know, me too,” she told him. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

Peter went over to MJ, who hadn't even tried to get up. "Did you drink the mead?"

She held her fingers a millimeter apart. "Just a teeny _tiny_ bit. It tastes like cotton candy and summertime.”

“I’m thinking I should carry you downstairs, put your hair up, and pray.”

"That sounds like a good idea," she told him solemnly. He obligingly lifted her up and she cuddled into his arms, murmuring something affectionate as he carried her to the elevator.

Nate watched them, ignoring the little tug of envy he felt at their ease with each other. He didn't have time for self pity, though, he had his own little lush to deal with.

"Would you like a lift downstairs?" he asked Eshe.

“I can stand, thank you,” she said, but she held up her hand for him to pull her to her feet. She only swayed a little. “I paced myself.”

"Should I be worried about MJ?" he asked, tucking an arm around her waist as they walked to the elevator.

“He will take care of her.” Eshe leaned on him. “She thinks I should stay.” 

"MJ is very much a romantic. I think it's an actress thing.”

The elevator took them down to their floor. There were at least two items of clothing, that he could see, strewn in the hallway. All of them were always pretty careful in the common space, but drunk plus post-mission adrenaline probably did a lot for libido overriding sense. Eshe giggled, a sound he didn’t know she could make.

"Gonna be teasing Peter about that for a while," Nate commented as they walked to his door.

“We enjoyed our drink.” The door opened, and she stepped inside ahead of him. Immediately she crossed her arms and pulled her sweater up over her head, flinging it off in some direction. She walked in the direction of the bedroom without looking back, losing pieced of clothing as she went.

Nate groaned, shedding his uniform as he followed her back. "Did you guys talk about anything of note?”

She stopped in front of the windows, staring out at the city. The snow was coming down good now. They were very high up and the glass was tinted, but since she was standing naked in front of a wall of glass it seemed wise not to put the lights on. “Real things and impossible things.” She touched the glass. “Like learning to live with winter.”

He stepped up behind her and kissed her shoulder. "Is that a real thing or an impossible one?”

“It could be.” She leaned back into him. “You’d keep me warm.”

"I'd be happy to," he said, sliding his arms around her. "Or I could build you a little robot heater to follow you around.”

“I like your methods better,” she replied as he cupped one of her breasts in his hand. “You think anyone can see us?”

"Mmm, theoretically it's possible. But pretty damn unlikely. At least with the lights off.”

She arched back against him. “You reflect more light, you should stay behind me.”

He chuckled. "I love how you think of new ways to call me pale.”

“You are.” She lifted one of his hands and kissed the inside of his wrist. “I can see your veins.” She kissed his palm and sucked one of his fingers into her mouth. He gave a groan that was mostly growl and kissed her throat, using his other hand to cup and shape her breast, thumb swirling over the nipple.

“I love how you touch me,” she whispered. “I love watching you touch me.”

"Convenient, as I enjoy touching you." He disentangled his hand from her, dragging it down her body, leaving a damp trail from the finger she'd sucked. He flattened his palm over her stomach before letting his fingers dip lower, sliding against the folds of her sex. She was very wet, and made a noise of pleasure.

He stroked a little further and she sucked in a shuddery breath. “Like that.”

With a little nudge, he got her to cant her hips forward and open her legs a bit wider. Then he began to stroke her in earnest, slipping two fingers slowly inside her and circling his palm to grind on her clit. She reached out to brace her hand on the window. She always had amazing balance—which they had tested to great entertainment—but she’d also had mead. She rocked against his hand, whimpering and soaking his fingers, grinding her ass back against him until that was all he could pay attention to. 

"That's it, honey," he whispered giving her nipple a tug. He kissed her neck, open mouthed and explicit. "Let me feel it.”

She grabbed his wrist, grip strong enough it almost hurt. “I want you inside me. Please.” Then she released him to brace both hands on the glass.

He nipped her shoulder, but obliged, releasing her to grip her hips. He shuffled her back a couple steps so she bent further, then lined himself up and sank into her slick heat. She made a raw, desperate sound, and he could see her fingers curl against the glass. She pushed back against him, and when he met her, she gasped, “Harder.”

Giving her hips a little squeeze, he obeyed, pulling almost entirely out of her before thrusting back in. She gasped and he repeated it, again and again, rocking her body with the force of his thrusts. Her elbows gave and both moved forward, her hands sliding against the glass. He could feel her tense and tremble, so close, but not quite. He knew her.

He flattened one hand on her stomach to hold her, and brought the other around to stroke her clit again. She cried out things but he didn’t understand any of them. She went up on her toes with his next thrust, and then he felt her shatter. She squeezed and pulsed around him, her body bowing and shaking, the sound she made nearly a scream.

He slowed his strokes as she rode it out, his own pleasure built to a near painful peak. As she was calming, it snapped and he buried himself to the hilt, releasing inside her.

She rested her forehead against the glass and whimpered. It was impossible to stay standing, and together they sank down to the carpet. She stayed in his lap while they caught their breath. He hugged her, dropping light kisses onto her skin wherever he could reach. 

"You okay?" he asked after a while.

“I don’t want to leave,” she whispered, her voice catching at the end.

He squeezed her tightly. "I don't want you to leave," he replied, just as quiet.

She sniffled a little. “I want to learn to tolerate winter. Figure out where Minnesota is. Convince my mother sunscreen isn’t a myth and she really needs to put it on her pigment-deficient grandchildren when they visit.” She sounded so sad when she said it, he knew it wasn’t an offer. She was talking about her impossible things.

"Watch your father and I awkwardly find topics of conversation?" he offered, rubbing her back.

“Make him some of that bunyoro and you’ll have a friend for life.”

"I'll be sure and practice.”

She was quiet for a bit, then said, “I could just not go home. But then I could never go home.”

The thought pained him. He knew her relationship with her parents wasn't quite was his was. But the idea of never going home again hurt. He'd experienced it, first when he was sent to jail and again when Ross had recruited him. "I couldn't ask that of you.”

“Thinking about never seeing you again makes me feel sick to my stomach,” she said.

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Never is a very long time. You don't know how things might turn out in a few years.”

“I couldn’t ask you to wait. . .”

"You see a lot of eligible ladies beating down the door?”

“There would be if I wasn’t looming and glaring. I’ve heard all about you and the boys and your groupies.”

"Eh, most of us have hung up our spurs. Eli's got a kid and a wife, Pete is unaware women other than MJ exist. Even Cassie is muttering about finding a Mr. Right instead of Right Now." He rubbed her back. "I can wait. I have company.”

She turned and snuggled into him. “I could do with some hope.”

He sighed and held her. "Let's have a little hope, then.”


	14. Chapter 14

Eshe woke in the morning to a headache, and a logistical problem.

“They have no way off their realm without the bifrost, so Singularity is going to remain on Asgard for the time being, and I wish to remain with her.”

Eshe put her hands on her hips and stared at Vision. “Why?”

He paused. "Because I wish to remain with her.”

“We all wish to do things we don’t necessarily get to do. I’m going to have to call my boss—who is already mad at me—and request a second Dora to watch Ada. The least you could give me is an actual reason.”

"I'm afraid I don't have a more precise reason. The idea of being without her for however long it takes them to repair the bridge or no longer need her is untenable. But, if it would help, I could arrange for an Asgardian warrior to come guard Ada so you will not have to contact your superior.”

She blinked. “Are you and her. . . together?”

"We are still trying to define what our relationship means. But yes, that would be accurate.”

It depressed her that even Vision seemed better at this whole thing than she was. “For the record, that’s a valid reason. And yes, I will happily take assistance from an Asgardian warrior.”

"I'll speak to Thor the next time Singularity brings me up.”

“Thank you,” she said with a nod.

Later that day a female Asgardian with dark hair pulled back from her face introduced herself. "I'm Lady Sif, I will be watching Miss Ada until Vision is available again.”

“I am Eshe,” she said. “I cannot thank you enough.”

"It's no trouble. I had no desire to build a bridge or plan a wedding. And apparently Ada asked for me specifically. It will be like a vacation.”

As it turned out, Eshe really liked Lady Sif. She knew what she was doing, was good company, and liked a combat workout. Though Sif wasn’t used to pulling her punches, and a misplaced hit left Eshe with a well earned black-eye. Nate insisted she go see Tess.

“Technically I’m on maternity leave,” Tess told her as she put her under the bone-knitting machine—Eshe’s orbital bone was apparently fractured.

“I tried that. Nate insisted. I think FRIDAY scanned the bone and told Hiro.”

"Some people might be concerned about the AIs teaming up against us," Tess said mildly, watching her screen. "But no one listens to me.”

“So would now be a bad time to tell you Nate put one in the laundry bot?”

She sighed deeply. "I have got to get out of this Tower.”

“I put in a request that it learn not to mangle bras.”

"I appreciate that. Hold still and don't talk for one minute."

Eshe obeyed, holding still while the machine did its work. It burned a bit, but then Tess gave her the all clear. "Not much I can do about the bruise," she said. "Ice will keep the swelling down and I can give you some anti-inflammatories.”

“I heal pretty quick. Thank you, Tess.” It occurred her that it wasn’t just Nate she was going to miss. It was all of them.

She smiled. "You're very welcome. Duck next time.”

Nate fussed over her, and made her bunyoro. She might miss this the most. Nobody took care of her back home.

"I think you're an honorary Asgardian after this," he teased, carefully kissing her good cheek.

“She spoke very highly of you in the battle, you know. Apparently you are an excellent warrior.”

He grinned, clearly pleased. "I had no idea I made such an impression.”

“You are a very good leader. You should do it more, and not just when Kate and Eli aren’t there.”

He lifted a shoulder. "We're working on expanding so we can have multiple teams. I imagine I'll be in charge of one of them.”

“Good,” she said. “You’ll need something to keep you busy.”

He looked a little sad, but nodded. "I'll talk to Kate once she's not crazy.”

There was going to be a lot of sad down the road for them.

The night they went to Asgard was the last snow of the season. Spring came for real—temperatures rose, flowers bloomed. She’d looked forward to it for months, but the progression of time wasn’t exactly a happy thing for her these days.

Like the closing of a great circle, one of the last things they’d do was attend the Met Gala again. Ada had talked Sif into coming back down and filling out the guard detail, along with Vision and Singularity, in order to give Eshe some space. She was still working, but she didn’t have to follow the two of them around every minute.

The theme had something to do with Art of the Ancients, which seemed to involve a lot of draped white fabric, which was an improvement over the gigantic dresses everyone had last year. Eshe got her mother to go buy and send her something that resembled Wakandan sculptures from a couple millennia ago and called it a day. It was red and beaded and showed an enormous amount of skin, which was all she really needed anyway.

Nate clutched his chest like he was having a heart attack when he saw her. "Let's skip the party.”

She grinned and did a turn. “Oh, hush.”

"Seriously, you look amazing.”

Some of the men had costumed up—Raf was gleefully wearing a toga, Wyatt was decked head to toe in whale skin—but most wore tuxedos like Nate did, which suited her just fine. She leaned in to kiss him. “You look great, too.”

"I look very boring, but I appreciate the thought.”

“You look like mine tonight, and that’s perfect."

He smiled and slid his arm around her waist. "Ready to go?”

She put her head on his shoulder for a moment. “Very much.” He squeezed her and led her out to the elevator where a few of the others were waiting.

“This is our first evening leaving the baby,” Eli told them on the way down. “We’re excited and terrified.”

“If we had a baby, then I could probably get away with a tits-out dress,” MJ said, sounding like a non-sequiter, but it made Peter laugh out loud.

"MJ wanted to wear one of those Minoan dresses that show the breasts," Nate explained. "The idea was shot down by her agent and the PR team.”

“I don’t understand the Western obsession with breasts, I really don’t,” Eshe said. “It’s so not a thing back home—there’s nothing dirty about a woman being topless.” She gestured at Tess. “Someone like yourself, nursing a baby, might not bother to put one on for months.” 

"MJ then tried to convince me to do the topless thing," she confirmed. "Some things Ii don't need my Mama seeing on the tabloids.”

Eshe shook her head, and the elevator reached the lobby. Cars lined up outside to take everyone. She waved the rest of them ahead, because she wanted to wait for Azi and Ada and their entourage. Nate chucked Peter on the arm as he walked off, then tucked his arm around her. "This will be my first gala with a proper date.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never brought a woman before?”

"I mean, Cassie and I would sort of wingman for each other or whatever. Peter and I brought arm candy when we were younger. But. . . not a real date, you know?”

“Yes.” She kissed him. “But I am also excellent arm candy.”

"You are awesome arm candy.”

The elevator opened, revealing an ocean of gilded fabric. The whole lot of them, save Azi, had embraced Asgardian ceremonial garb. Only Ada would take an event specifically designed to get women to wear a lot of drapey white fabric and _find_ a way to wear a gigantic dress with a train.

Eshe was inordinately delighted Vision had decided to wear an elaborate gown, too.

"That is a whole lot of skirt, Ada," Nate said, managing to sound amused and complimentary at the same time.

“Yes it is,” she said proudly, doing a full turn for them.

“The cars are waiting,” Eshe said.

Nate took her arm and Ada slipped hers through Azi's as they headed out to the limo and piled in. “You know,” Singularity said, “We don’t actually have to ride in this. I could just pop us over.”

“That sort of thing scares people, love,” Vision said.

She made a face. "I could do it very sneakily.”

“Not if we’re going to walk the red carpet and the stairs,” Ada said. “Which we are.”

"The photographers get made at me," Singularity said. "I break their cameras.”

“I still don’t understand how that happens,” Ada said. She looked over at Singularity. “Do I ever?”

She shrugged. "I usually don't hang around long enough for people to be taking pictures.”

“Maybe you should just pop inside yourself,” Vision said. “So we don’t have lots of angry press.”

“Oh! Good idea,” Singularity said, and then she vanished.

Vision stared at the seat where she’d been sitting. “Well I didn’t mean right now.”

"She is a bit of an adventure, isn't she?" Azi commented mildly.

He smiled. “Adventure is what makes it fun.”

When they reached the drop-off point, everyone got out and began making their way through the run of press. Eshe tried not to be to conspicuous—which was surprisingly easy given the group she was with. 

It was still all such a strange sense of deja vu.

As if reading her mind, Nate said, "On the bright side, Pete probably won't cock-block me this time.”

She laughed at the memory. “I recall being astonished at how someone as good looking as you could be so bad at flirting.”

"In my defense, it was a little baffling that _you_ were flirting.”

She turned to look at him “Why?”

"You were kind of serious and on the clock. And way out of my league.”

“You and the league thing. You’re a superhero. We were absolutely in the same tier.”

"In my heart I'm still just a nerd who speaks way too many coding languages.”

Leaning over, she put her head on his shoulder. “That’s the best part.”

He kissed the top of her head. "My nerd cred?”

“You know who you really are.”

"I do," he said and she could hear a smile in his voice. "I always did, Even in the worst of times.”

Sometimes she thought she was going to miss him so much she couldn’t even breathe. “Good.” She hoped it would help him. She was probably just going to run in the jungle until her legs gave out every day.

When one was running, one should cover distance.  
They made their way through the crowd, stopping and waving for some pictures when asked. She was asked to have a few pictures taken of just her and her outfit, which she obliged, with some amusement. The Western world, and the US in particular, were fascinated with the Dora and they had given up hiding for the most part. She kept Azi in her sights and got if over with quickly.

The press took a lot of pictures of Azi and Ada, who were very conspicuously not touching. “Whomever tattled on me didn’t tattle on them,” Eshe commented.

Nate snorted. "Maybe they feared the wrath of Ada.”

“I find that valid.”

When they were finally all the way inside, they found Peter and MJ again, and the bar. “I will not be drinking anymore super-people booze,” MJ said, and made Eshe laugh.

“That bad, huh?” she asked.

"I heard colors and saw sounds."

"Also, she vomited on her favorite shoes," Peter chimed in.

"Those poor shoes.”

Eli appeared from the crowd. “There you guys are. Can we go fine our table before Tess starts chewing on my arm?”

MJ waved at them. "Go on. I'll bring drinks."

"Did Doc come down?" Peter asked, pushing off the bar. "She always has snacks in her purse.”

“Most of the grown ups are here,” Eli said. 

Nate raised an eyebrow in Eshe’s direction, and she waved him to go with the boys. “I’ll help her with the drinks.”

"As you wish." He leaned in to kiss her cheek before heading off with the other two. He has his head tilted like he was talking to Hiro, probably tracking down Doc.

As they waited for their drinks, MJ asked, “So when is your last day?”

“Two weeks,” Eshe said. “The 22nd.” She looked over at MJ. “You are on my list of people I am really going to miss.”

She smiled brilliantly. "I'm going to miss you, too. It was nice to have a girl to talk to when the boys were being nerdy.”

“Will you keep an eye on him for me? He says he’ll be fine, but I’m not entirely sure that’s true.”

"We'll watch him for you. He took good care of Peter for a long time, he's eager to return the favor." MJ studied her for a moment. "You're sure you can't stay?”

“If I did I would be. . . I believe you call it AWOL? Setting aside everything else—and that’s a lot—if I did it, I could never go home again. Nor could my children.”

MJ sucked her teeth. "That is bad." The bartender lined up their drinks. "Still, it's not the end of the world, right? Life takes us in weird directions.”

Eshe imagined MJ had a far worse relationship with her family than Eshe did, but she didn’t comment on that. “And if it doesn’t work out I would be stranded in a foreign country.”

"I meant, if you go now, there's no saying you can't come back.”

“You never know what the future holds,” she said. Right now that was all she had.

MJ reached out and rubbed her arm affectionately. "I promise to keep in touch. Pete's promised me a trip to Wakanda one of these days.”

“I would be honored to show you around. People might not even point and stare.”

She grinned. "They will I bring Peter. That boy does not tan."

Their drink order was up, and the two of them carried them to the groups of tables the Avengers occupied. Seating had been arranged so she could sit next to both Nate and Azi, which made her happy. The food had a middle-eastern theme to it, and was abundant. 

"This is the closest thing to 'enough food' I've ever seen at once of these," Kam commented.

"They must have changed caterers," Kate agreed. "Whoever made those dumplings two years ago did not make this.”

For a moment Nate made his Hiro Face, and then said, “Tony loaned the museum a Vermeer in return for letting him pick the food.”

There were several face palms around the table. "Of course he did," Kate said dryly.

Kam popped half a samosa in her mouth. "Whatever, it's delicious. Uncle Money Bags can bribe whoever he wants if it means I can finally leave here full."

Tess made sound of agreement and gave a thumbs up.

“Next year could we bribe someone so the music doesn’t suck?” MJ asked, and there were more laughs. An American pop star has started to sing, and Eshe couldn’t disagree with her assessment.

"If you complain, he'll just hire you," Peter told her.

She grinned. "If he can afford me.”

“It has a beat, and I want to dance,” Ada said. She stood and her dress did the same mechanical auto-bustling thing it had last year. She held a hand down to Azi. “Up, up.”

"I'm not done eating!" he complained, but let her drag him up to his feet.

"You'll live," she informed him, leading him out to the dance floor.

“I need to go keep an eye on them,” Eshe said.

“I will go,” Vision said. “Finish your meal. Neither of us eat.”

“And then you should dance,” Singularity added.

Nate fist bumped her as she went by and grinned at Eshe. "Wingmanned by a quantum singularity. My life is weird.”

“ _Can_ you dance?” Kam asked.

He put a hand on his chest in mock offense. "I am an excellent dancer. All the girls in 4H thought so.”

She laughed. “So that would be a no, then.”

"I probably won't step on her toes.”

“My toes are sturdy,” Eshe said as they stood. He slid his arm around her waist as they walked to the dance area. They’d done some rather explicit dancing in their day, though that was probably different from the kind of dances one did at this sort of event. Eshe certainly didn’t know how to waltz, but they were happy to spin and sway with around the dance floor and that was all that was required. The staid white people music helped on that front.

On a slow song, she rested her head on his shoulder and just breathed in his scent. “I’m glad we did this.”

"Came to the gala? Or all of it?”

“I meant the gala. But I don’t regret the relationship, either.”

"That's good." He kissed her cheek. "I'm glad, too.”

They swayed together a little longer. “So. . . what exactly is a 4H club?”

He laughed. "It's a very cool, hip group of future farmers.”

“Your family lives Minneapolis.”

He smiled. "Yeah. It had kind of wandered from it's original purpose. It was an after school and summer club. Place to meet friends, do projects. I learned some of my coding there.”

“If only they knew they were training a hacker.”

"They probably would have frowned at that.”

The crowd pressed around them, and she was glad for a little bit she didn’t have to worry about where Azi was or what he was up to. She kind of wanted to pause time itself. “You’re not a half bad dancer. You did pretty good that night we went out after the last Met Gala. Though that was more foreplay than dancing, I suppose.” That had been what they were then—strangers looking for clandestine sex. Now they were swaying contentedly in formalwear in front of everyone.

"They didn't teach foreplay there," he teased her. "But I do think I'm not half bad at it.”

She sighed. “You’re not half bad at a lot of things.” She leaned back and looked at him. “Thank you.”

He studied her a moment. "You're welcome. Though I'm at a loss as to what I did to deserve a thanks.”

“It’s just been a remarkable year.”

"It has. One of the best of my life.”

She leaned in to kiss him. “Me too.”

He let the kiss go on, deepening it. "I wish I could convince you to duck out early.”

“Tell Hiro to ask Vision to talk Ada into it, and you’ve got a deal.”

With a grin, he tilted his head and made Hiro Face. A couple minutes later, Ada and Azi made their way over to them. "We're easily convinced.”

“You’re good people,” Eshe said. She reached for Nate’s hand. “Let’s go home.”


	15. Chapter 15

The night before Azi and Eshe left, they loaded the jet. Nate helped Eshe pack. She seemed to have retreated behind the kind of walls she’d had up when he met her, and was quiet. She was all Dora Milaje today.

He supposed it didn’t really matter. There wasn’t much left to say.

They took her bags down to the hanger to get loaded, then walked back to his place. "I intend to stay in touch," he offered. "Send you junk food.”

That got him a small smile. “You don’t think that’ll make it feel worse in the end? Drag it out?”

"No. I want to believe this isn't the end. Just a pause. Till we figure out the rest.”

He could see on her face she didn’t believe that was true. But he was going to, because it was all he had. She reached for his hand. “What do you say we go to bed?”

"Lead the way, my lady.”

They didn’t sleep. Not at all. The sun rose and they were still up. 

_Wheels up in twenty minutes._ Even Hiro sounded sad when he said that.

Nate rubbed her back and kissed her shoulder. "It's time.”

She took a very slow, deep breath. “You want to come up and see me off?"

"If you don't mind.”

Yesterday, before the packing, they’d had a little party so Eshe and Azi could say goodbye to everyone. So there wasn’t a crowd on the Wife Line. Not even Ada, which surprised him. Azi didn’t comment and Nate didn’t ask.

Eshe squared her shoulders and looked at him. For a moment neither of them spoke, and then she said, “You should really consider running outside once in a while.”

He smiled. "I'll take it under advisement," he told her.

She swallowed and nodded. “Well. I guess I should go.”

"I know." He caught the back of her head and drew her close, kissing her. "Take good care of yourself.”

“You too. Seriously, don’t just sit in your apartment and wallow. Keep living your life.”

"I promise." He pecked her lips and let her go. "I'll see you again.”

She smiled a little. “I hope so.”

He took a step back and she nodded again, turning to climb the gangplank onto the jet. He watched until she disappeared from view. Then he watched the jet take off, and waited until the hangar doors closed again.

When he took the elevator down to the apartment floor, Peter was waiting for him. Nate smiled and nodded. “Hi."

“Thought maybe you wouldn’t want to be alone.” He held up a paper bag. “I brought breakfast.”

"Thanks, man.”

Peter looked at him a moment, then reached out to hug him. With a sigh, Nate slumped onto him. "I may be crashing on your couch in depression a few days.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.”

They made their way slowly back to Peter's apartment. "I hope she's okay. I don't know if she has anyone over there to take care of her.”

“MJ said she kind of kept her own company. They seem to build them stoic over there.”

"Yeah," he sighed. Pete let them into the apartment and they set up breakfast at his table. "MJ around?"

"Meeting with her agent. Sends her love. Said she can be around or be scarce depending on your mood."

Nate smiled. "She's a good egg.”

He grinned. “She is. Totally cool with me sometimes pretending I’m single and sad to keep you company.”

"That's a lady you keep, that is.”

Peter had bacon, egg and cheese on his bagel. Nate could see the ketchup. He thought that was gross, but saying so offended Peter’s honor as a New Yorker. “So I’ve got a schedule of things to do. All optional, if you want some mope time in there. But it’s usually better to do things.”

"I wouldn't say no to some distractions.”

Peter nodded. “Well, I owe you from that thing back in the day.”

Nate chuckled. "Oh, yeah. That.”

That week, Peter did his best to keep Nate busy. The others joined in from time to time. Nate was aware he was being handled, but it was okay. It was better than the alternative. But he couldn’t sleep on his and MJ’s couch forever.

The day he decided to go back home, Peter and Eli gamely came over and helped him clean. They changed his sheets so they wouldn't smell like her, tripled checked the bathroom for any of her products, and generally straightened up. Later, Kate and Wyatt showed up, baby attached, with dinner and groceries for the fridge.

"Thanks guys. I appreciate all the babysitting.”

“I have an urge to hug you,” Kate informed him. “I mean, I’m not going to. But the thought is there.”

"I know that's big for you, thank you.”

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I think she’d have made a great asset to the team.”

Nate arched a brow. "Were you gonna offer her a job?”

“I talked to Steve about it.” She stabbed a piece of lettuce. “I’m not going into the field as much and I don’t think that’s going to change. There’s recruiting, there’s new people, but there’s a shit-ton of training. It’s not the same. I need someone who can be steady under fire now. Might be a necessary piece—a woman who can be cold if she has to. God knows none of the rest of them really can.” 

That was a very good point. Part of him wondered if that would have been enough to make her stay, but he shook off the idea. She'd have had to go back to see her family and see Azi off to training and everything else. Something might have convinced her to stay there and they'd be exactly where they were. "Maybe someday.”

“I figured she’d think I was making her a job on your behalf.” 

"Yeah, probably. She was pretty resigned to being miserable.”

“Some people take a lot of effort,” Wyatt said. “To get them to let themselves be happy. But it’s usually worth it.”

Kate look up from trying to get Teddy to take a bottle. "Honey, I'm sitting _right here_.”

The rest of them laughed, though Nate supposed there was a certain similarity to her and Eshe. Maybe it came with the warrior woman thing.

They talked about other things for the rest of dinner, and eventually Teddy began to fuss, and they had to take him home to bed.

Pete and MJ lingered the longest. "You sure you're okay?" she asked. "We really don't mind the company."

"Thank you," Nate told her sincerely. "But I gotta get back on my feet some time.”

They both hugged him, and then he had to hustle them out. 

"Whatever pep talk you're planning, shush," he told Hiro. "I'm sad, you don't want me to be. We'll get through it.”

Hiro had been remarkably quiet this week. But Nate was still surprised when he replied, _I’m sad, too._

"I honestly didn't know you could be sad.”

_Neither did I. Maybe you’re contagious._

He wondered, idly, if he should worry about that. "Well, I'm sorry you're sad.”

_I also think Wyatt is right._

"That I need to put in more effort?”

_More. Some. Any._

"Look, I couldn't keep her here without trashing her life. And she's gonna need a little time to sort things out. She knows I love her and she's welcome here. There's a line between effort and being a creepy guy from a 90s romantic comedy.”

_You miss her. Why don’t you call her?_

"I'm a little concerned it'll make me miss her worse.”

_It might. But you’ll be talking. You could tell her how you feel._

He sighed. "What time is it in Wakanda?”

_Two fifteen PM._

Well, that seemed like a perfectly reasonably time to call. "Fine. Put it up on the monitor.”

It took a moment before she appeared. He could tell by the angle she was talking by the beads on her wrist, and she was outside. The minute she smiled, he was glad he called. “Hello, stranger.”

"Hey there. Re-acclimating all right?”

“It’s good to see my family. Azi started his training. I am bored as hell.” She scrunched up her face a little and then swallowed. “It’s been hard.”

He nodded. "Me, too," he told her. "Everyones trying to keep me busy. But I miss you.”

She sighed. “I miss you, too.”

"Any word on your next assignment?”

Eshe had been walking, but she sat down, and he could see mountains behind her. “No. They’re still figuring that out. I may be on the shit list.” She sighed again and looked off into the distance. “And I don’t. . . know that I entirely care.”

He didn't really know what to say to that. "I don't suppose anyone ever gets dishonorably discharged from the Dora?”

“Well, they do. You just have to do something really bad. I, so far, have not.”

"Have you seen your parents?”

“I’m staying with them. I tell them I’m fine, I think they believe me.”

Nate thought either they were terrible parents, or didn't believe her, but either of those felt rude to say. "I've been avoiding talking to my parents," he admitted. "'Cause no way they'll believe me.”

She looked down. “It can’t feel like this forever, right?"

"I don't think so. It's still fresh.”

For a moment she was quiet, clearly thinking. “Would you. . . would you ever consider visiting?”

"I'd love to visit. Whenever you like.”

She smiled, and she shrugged. “I just happen to have a lot of free time at the moment. . .”

"You don't think it's too soon?”

She was quiet. “You need a little space?”

Reminding himself she liked honesty, he admitted, "I only just got off Pete's couch.”

Something he couldn’t really read shifted across her face. “No, no, I understand, that’s fair.” She cleared her throat. “I actually probably should go, I need to get home for dinner.”

He nodded. "Stay safe. Keep in touch.”

“Good to see you, Nate,” she said, and cut the connection.

He sighed and rested his head on his arms. That could have gone better.

_She asked you to come see her and you said no._

"I asked for a little time. I have emotions and feelings about this, too.”

_What happened to taking what happiness you can get? Wasn’t that like a thing earlier?_

Nate pushed down his irritation and took a breath. "Look. She left and she gave me very little hope that we had any possible future. And I spend a week mourning that on Peter's couch. And now, because we're sad, she wants me to go halfway across the world and prolong the inevitable. It's a bad idea. She knows it and so do I. So yeah, I said no. I'm not putting myself through that.”

There was silence in his head, and Nate was genuinely grateful for that. It was shitty to fight with someone you literally could never get away from. Then Hiro said, _I think pulling up a video game and shooting some Nazis would do us good._

He smiled and shook his head. "Yeah. That seems a worthwhile activity.”

*

Eshe’s mother was cooking when she got back to the house. She went to get a snack to take back to her room. She was hungry since she’d mentioned food to Nate. It wasn’t anywhere near dinner time, but she couldn’t take any more of the conversation.

“Eshe,” Mama said. “Sit down.”

“It’s just a snack,” she replied, looking longingly at the door.

That got her a stern look. “I’ve been trying to give you your space, but you’re starting to worry me.”

“I’m fine,” she replied. “It’s just the change. I looked after the Prince my whole career.”

Mama crossed her arms. "Eshe, I love you. But you have not successfully lied to me since the time you stole my spear to show off to your school friends.”

She sighed, sitting back down at the kitchen table. Her mother would just pry it out of her if she didn’t confess. “There was. . .someone. In New York. A man, actually. And I let it get to be more than I should have.”

Her mother sat across from her. "I heard rumors. But I'd thought you'd talk to me if it had gotten that far.”

She looked down. “Honestly, it hurts enough. I don’t need a scolding. Another scolding."

Mama frowned. "I wasn't going to scold. Who scolded you?”

“The General was not exactly pleased by the rumors. He’s a man, he’s white, he’s American—he’s actually one of the Avengers. The optics are terrible, and I kind of broke some rules.”

"Hmm. Clearly I need a word with the General." Mama had been a Dora herself, before Eshe was born, until a serious injury retired her. She and the General went way back. She reached across the table and took Eshe's hand. "Tell me about this man. Do you love him?”

“Yes,” she said, even though it felt painful to do so. “He sees me. Not a lot of people do. He takes care of me, which absolutely no one does. Probably because I won’t let them. But somehow. . .he was different.” She shook here head. “I got the flu and he learned how to make bunyoro.” 

She nodded thoughtfully. "When you left, did he ask you to stay?”

“Well before I left. I actually briefly considered ‘going missing’, so to speak. But it just wasn’t possible.”

Her mother sighed. "This is my fault. I always pushed you, because you seemed to like being pushed. But I took it too far.”

“My poor judgement isn’t your fault, Mama.”

She shook her head. "Eshe, there is more to life than your career. Than the Dora. You shouldn't turn your back on the rest of it.”

“Being a Dora is more than a career. Besides, it would be nearly impossible to leave.”

"It can be fairly straightforward to be medically discharged.”

“Well, great. If I get seriously injured or terminally ill I’ll be all set.”

Her mother sighed deeply. "Darling girl. Your assignment is over. Why don't you take a nice vacation? Maybe New York? And get yourself knocked up.”

She nearly choked on the piece of fruit she was eating. “What?”

"Take a vacation, go back to your young man, and don't come back until you're pregnant. The Dora will discharge you with a handshake and you're free to do as you wish.”

“You’re suggesting I deliberately go get pregnant?” She had to repeat that just to make sure she understood.

"I am. Being a Dora is an honor, and I have always been proud of you. But it's not worth throwing away your happiness. This way, you save face, the Dora save face, and you have a chance to be with your man and live your own life.”

It was absolutely lunatic that this appealed her. That she was considering it. “What would I do with myself?” 

“Babies are a lot of work,” Mama replied. But she’d be alone in New York, without her family. Though, they had quite the village going on in that tower. Particularly when it came to the children.

“I promise I will give your somewhat insane idea consideration,” Eshe said. 

She went back to her room, and couldn’t think about anything else. It would probably be embarrassing, and honestly felt faintly like shooting herself in the foot to escape military service. She wanted to ask Azi, but he was off at his training. And also, she knew exactly what he would say. She wanted to call Nate, but it was the middle of the night in New York.

So she was a bit surprised when, twenty minutes later, her beads chimed, telling her Kate Okpik was calling. 

“Hello,” she said evenly when the other woman’s image appeared, fighting the urge to ask what was wrong and if Nate was okay.

"Nothing's wrong," was the first thing out of her mouth. "To the best of my knowledge, Nate is sleeping peacefully like the stupid, baby-free, man that he is."

Eshe chuckled. “Well. Thank you for that. I take it you’re not calling about him?”

"Calling 'cause I wanted to ask you something, sort of. Is now a good time?"

“It’s always a good time, I’m stuck at home and bored. By all means, please distract me.” And she really missed these guys, though it felt weird to say so.

"I know stuff with you and Nate and the Dora is. . . complicated. And you have my word I would be saying this even if you didn't know what one of my best friends looks like naked. But I wanted to gauge your interest in becoming an Avenger.”

She blinked in surprise and raised her eyebrows. “I’m not a superhero.”

"Neither am I. I just have a set of skills that make me useful to the team. So do you." She shifted and Eshe saw her put her son on her shoulder to burp him. "I haven't been going into the field much since Teddy was born. Between you me and the wall, I'm probably going to take myself off active duty and pick up some administrative tasks. Which means we'll have a gap in the team. One I think you'd fit in really well.”

That made her smile. “Someone who will tell them to shut up when needed?”

Kate nodded. "And, to be honest, someone capable of being a little cold. Of being a soldier. It's something you can't train, you have it or you don't. You have it, if I'm not mistaken.”

“My training began as a teenager,” she said. “And I am Wakandan.”

"Enough said." Teddy let out a rather impressive belch and Kate smirked, rubbing his back. "You don't have to answer now. I know you're waiting on a new assignment. I figure you've got a lot of thinking to do and maybe this might factor into that.”

Eshe studied her. “And this isn’t for Nate?”

"No, not at all. The fact you're involved with Nate is, if anything, a detriment. Just once I'd like to get a new recruit no one hooks up with.”

“I know how to compartmentalize in combat,” she said.

"That usually goes hand in hand with the cold.”

She gave a nod. “I do have much to think about. And a lot to sort out. But thank you.”

"You're welcome. Call if you have any questions. I'm up at all hours."

Eshe went downstairs for real dinner not long after that. It was the one meal her whole family ate together and it was always loud and crowded. Made it easy for Eshe to hide, and get lost in her thoughts.

She could do this. She could go back to New York, survive the winters, have a family with the man she loved, and still continue to be useful in the world. All she had to do was take the leap.


	16. Chapter 16

“So let’s say I do this,” Eshe said to her mother as they were washing the dishes. She didn’t need to tell her what she was talking about. “Hypothetically.”

"All right. Hypothetically, you're doing it.”

“Would it be easier if he came here? It could take longer than a vacation.” Though, really, trying to get pregnant while staying in her childhood bedroom felt kind of creepy. 

Mama waved a hand. "That's fine, too. It will give Baba and I a chance to meet him.”

“I asked him to come visit and he didn’t want to. Understandable, I think he’s doing about as well as I am. But also this is a conversation to have in person.” She scrubbed the dish she was holding with vigor. “I may have to go there.”

"Of course. I can make some phone calls if it will help.”

“I’m not doing anything. They’ll probably be grateful if I ask for leave. And my diplomatic visa to the US is still good. Theoretically I could just. . . get on a plane.” She looked down at her wrist. Kimoyo beads served many purposes, including medical. They could manage a variety of conditions, though their most popular medical use was for birth control. Most Wakandan women wore one one of those at some point in their lives. Eshe had added one to her bracelet when she moved to London, because she’d wanted to experiment with men. If you’d told her back then she’d end up with one long term she’d have laughed her ass off. “I took the bead off when I came home.”

"Well, that will simplify things.”

“The Avengers offered me a job.”

Her brows went up and she looked over at Eshe. "Oh, really?”

“I didn’t bring up the other thing, but I assume they’d be flexible.”

"They do seem to breed a lot." She swished a glass in the rinse water. "It solves your question of what to do with yourself.”

“You really don’t think this is shirking my duty?”

"You did your duty to the Prince for a long time. Now he's going on to the next phase of his life. You deserve the chance to do the same.”

Eshe decided to sleep on it, and then spent three days trying to find a time to contact him where she wouldn’t be met with just a reply from Hiro that he was asleep. Maybe she ought to just. . . go there.

"American movies do seem to love creepy dramatic gestures," her mother said when she mentioned it.

“Yes, but they call them chick flicks and men complain about them.”

Her mother shrugged. "Men make them.”

She sighed. “Unless I’ve gotten this whole thing wrong and he’s avoiding me.” Something that made no sense whatsoever. “Bad time for a romantic gesture.”

"Eshe, you got get on a plane right now and stop overthinking this.”

“Yes, Mama.” She supposed she got certain aspects of her personality from somewhere. But she did get herself a flight to New York. On her way, the overthinking kicked back in. It was a long flight. So she decided intel wouldn’t hurt. After some consideration, she sent a text to MJ.

_It’s Eshe. I was trying to get ahold of Nate and Hiro may be gatekeeping. Everything okay?_

_Hi! Yeah, as far as I know. He's gone through his full time moping and is into MUST KEEP BUSY ALL THE TIME. He even went up to Ithaca for a couple of days and Clint and Bucky took him shooting._

_Is he still in Ithaca?_

_No, he came back last night. I have performance tonight, the boys have their poker night._

Eshe smiled. She’d probably get in late enough she wouldn’t ruin poker night. _Thanks. I’ll try again later tonight._

_If he still doesn't answer, let me know. I'll put my hands on my hips and glare at him._

_Thanks._ She really hoped this was going to be okay.

She landed close to midnight and had to deal with grabbing her luggage and getting a cab, so it was pretty late when she finally reached the Tower. When she checked in at the desk, she was informed she was still on the list and could hop right into the elevator.

She contemplated, on the entire ride up, how this might be crazy. She should have called. She should have waited until she could get ahold of him. She should have at least mentioned it to MJ. 

Then she was standing in front of his door and there was nothing to do but knock.

After a long pause, and what sounded like a clatter of something getting knocked over, the door opened and he was standing on the other side, looking stunned.

She didn’t know what to say suddenly. All she could manage was, “Hi.”

"Hi." He reached out and touched her cheek. "What are you doing here?”

She turned her face a little into his hand. She’d missed him so much. “I had something I wanted to talk to you about.”

He laughed a little. "Well. You should come in then." He stepped back so she could enter the apartment. 

She carried her bags in and he stared at them. “I tried to call,” she said, wishing she had tried harder.

"I know. I swear, I really was sleeping. I went up to Ithaca and the guys ran me around.”

“MJ told me. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

"i'm okay. Well, as okay as can be expected." He ushered her over to the couch to sit. "What did you want to talk about?”

She sank onto his sofa. There was a pizza box on the coffee table. “My mother had a crazy idea. It’s so crazy I really had to come talk to you in person about it.”

He arched his brow. "Does it involve be having to defeat someone in ritual combat?”

“No, no. Just a way for me to leave the Dora. Well, get thrown out. But in a dignified way that won’t have to involve some kind of trial.”

He looked even more confused. "Okay. What is it?”

She didn’t know what to do with the awkwardness of this conversation. All she could do was plow ahead. “They would give me a medical discharge for having a baby.” It sounded ridiculous the moment the words came out of her mouth.

Nate stared at her for a moment. Then made his "talking to Hiro face." Then he started laughing and reached out to pull her into a hug. "Oh, my God, I love you.”

Tears stung her eyes, and she mumbled, “I love you, too,” into his shoulder.

He rocked her a moment. "Do you _want_ to get pregnant?”

“I admit I never expected to be. But I’ve always wanted children.” Her arms tightened. “I want to have them with you. So why not now?”

He kissed her temple, her jaw. "I'd love to have babies with you.”

She kissed his mouth, because she had to, and a for a moment the whole world stopped. “You’re sure?”

"Absolutely, one hundred percent sure. Though we might want to talk about getting engaged so we don't ruffle too many of my mom's feathers.”

“That’s very American,” she told him.

"Yes, well. You should know who you're getting.”

“I accept your offer of betrothal,” she told him. “But we really can’t tell anyone else until after I’m out of the Dora.”

"I understand. That'll give me some time to find livestock to give you.”

She laughed. “How did you know about that?”

"I may have done a little research.”

“And my family wants to meet you.” She kissed him again. “But first things first.”

He wrapped his arms around her. "Baby making?"

“I took the bead out of my bracelet. So, yeah, we could.”

"Well then." He slid an arm under her legs and stood. "That calls for a bed.”

She laughed, and swung her legs a little. She waited until he was in the actual bedroom to kiss him. It was liberating. Nothing hanging over their head. No undercurrent of sadness. He leaned back and grinned at her, clearly feeling the same. 

It made absolutely no sense that there were tears in her eyes, but there they were.

He set her down gently on the bed. ”Hey,” he said softly, rubbing a thumb along her cheek. "You okay?”

“I think I am as happy as I’ve ever been in my entire life.” She reached up to ruffle his hair. “I missed you.”

"I missed you, too. I sort of can't believe you're here.”

“I am.” She leaned up to kiss him, and reached down to tug his shirt up. “I am very much here. I’ll prove it to you.” He groaned and lifted his arms so she could strip the shirt off.

She kissed him again, and then she went up on her knees so she could pull her dress up over her head in one piece. There wasn’t much under it. He stared at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Maybe right now she was.

After a moment of reverent staring, he bent his head a kissed her skin. He trailing a line of kisses along the curve of her breast before taking the nipple into his mouth. She hummed a little, spreading her hands over his shoulders and sliding them down over the muscles of his back. For a moment it was enough to enjoy being able to touch him again.

He shifted, leaning on one elbow so he could use his other hand to stroke her skin. He cupped her thigh, stroked her hip, sending shivers through her. He hooked his thumb under the thin strip of fabric of her underwear and pulled it down. She lifted a little and he dragged it down so slowly it was erotic. His hand slid back up, just as slow, before cupping her sex. She opened her legs for him, and then looked down to watch him stroke her. He knew her so perfectly, and she ached in anticipation.

He kissed her jaw, her mouth, fingers petting her just right. Two slipped inside and he pressed on her clit, hard, making her arch. “Oh, Bast,” she mumbled, tipping her head back. He curled his fingers up and she gasped. She got lost in it, letting him push her higher and higher. This was the only thing in the entire world. It was his hand and then it was his mouth, and that took almost nothing. A touch of his tongue and then her body tightened and twisted and snapped. She cried out as pleasure pulsed through her.

When she'd calmed down enough to open her eyes, he was stretched out next to her, smiling proudly and watching her. She felt, for a moment, like her heart might actually explode. So she leaned in to kiss him, and whispered, “I love you.”

He sighed softly, sounding utterly content. "I love you back.”

While she’d been having a moment being blissed out, he’d taken his pants off, which pleased her. “Come here,” she said, hooking a leg over his hip, and reached between them to wrap her fingers around his cock. He lay back, cupping her hips in his hands to pull her more fully on top of him.

She gave him a squeeze and he sucked in a breath, arching into her touch. “I would return the favor but that might defeat the purpose.”

"You can owe me one later.”

She lifted up a little, guiding him to her entrance by feel. She was so wet he slid right in until he bottomed out, making them both groan. “We have lots of laters.”

"Yes, we do," he said and it sounded like a promise. She bent to kiss him, and she rolled her hips gently, slowly. She could still tease a little bit if she wanted to.

Nate growled, hands flexing on her hips. He lifted up to her, stroking a spot that made her shudder. He did it again and she made a sound, of the kind she couldn’t hold in if she tried. “That,” she gasped. “Don’t stop.”

With a wicked grin, he obliged her, thrusting up as she rocked on him, using his grip on her hips to help keep the rhythm. She braced her hands on either side of his head, close enough he could capture one of her nipples his his mouth. Something about the sharp tug shot right through her, and suddenly she was coming again. Her whole body shook and she lost her rhythm. 

He growled again and buried himself deep, following her a few moments later. She settled against his chest and drifted in the glow, thinking she’d happily never move again.

*

Nate woke up in the morning alone in his bed. He stared at the ceiling, trying to shake off the dream he’d had. It had felt heartbreakingly real, but also completely unrealistic—Eshe had shown up at his door in the middle of the night and told him that the answer to all their problems was to have a baby.

Then he heard the water shut off in the bathroom. He jerked upright in time to watch her step out into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel.

"Holy shit it was real," he said.

She blinked at him, and very slowly said, “Yes.”

He grinned and shook his head. "Sorry, I woke up alone and thought for a couple seconds I'd dreamed you.”

She dropped the towel as she came to the edge of the bed. “I am here.”

"Yes, you are." He caught her around the waist and tugged her down. "How long can you stay?”

Sprawling out on top of him, she kissed him before she answered. “As long as it takes. I requested a leave of absence.”

"Awesome. We could go on vacation.”

“That might be fun.” She kissed him again. She smelled like his soap “Somewhere warm.”

"I know people with houses in all manner of warm places.”

Her hands went wandering. “Later.”

That was pretty much how they spent the entire day. They paused for food when they needed energy, napped here and there, and occasionally managed to talk. They ordered pizza for dinner, and while they ate he she told him about Kate’s job offer.

"Are you going to take it?" he asked.

“Unless you have objections.”

"Not a single one.”

“I think it will be good. I like having something to do. Being useful in the world. And i am a very good fighter.”

"You are. And the more people and variety we have on the team the better for everyone.”

She finished her pizza and stood up. “Come back to bed?”

"Don't have to ask me twice.”

When he woke up the next morning, she was curled beside him. His arm was under her head— it was asleep—and one of her legs was thrown across his. He wasn’t sure he had ever been this happy, this content, in his entire life.

_I hate to bother you,_ Hiro said. _But Peter is at your door._

"Is something wrong?" he muttered.

_You want me to have FRIDAY ask him?_

"I'll get up, I'll get up." He kissed Eshe's head and eased himself away from her, to her grumblings.

He put on some pants and went out into the living room. FRIDAY had already let Peter in, and he was surveying the living room in dismay. Nate had to admit it was kind of a mess, pizza boxes and plates strewn about, and the couch cushions pulled off and stacked on the floor because they’d felt creative yesterday afternoon.

“You haven’t been out of your apartment in 36 hours,” Peter said. “And I’m. . . concerned.”

Nate chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have a visitor.”

Peter stared at him in surprise. “What, did you order a—” He broke off, looking at something off to Nate’s left. When he turned he saw it was Eshe’s luggage. Which, in hindsight, should have told Nate her intentions the moment he opened the door. It was a lot of luggage. And Pete clearly put it together. “Wait, is she here?”

"She is. She came in after we wrapped up poker night.”

He pointed. “Those are a lot of bags.”

"She took a leave of absence. We're, uh, gonna try to get her kicked out of the Dora.”

“Am I about to become an accomplice to a crime?”

"No. Not really. Apparently pregnancy is grounds for an honorable discharge.”

“No shit! I mean, congratulations? I guess? Or maybe not now, but. . .” He shook his head. “I need to go get MJ.” He got halfway to the door before turning back. “So she’s staying for good, then.”

"I think she needs to go back and get fired, but. . .yeah. Kate offered her a spot on the team.”

He came back to hug him. “I am really, really happy for you, man.”

Nate squeezed him so hard he picked him up. "Thank you.”

“I’m going to get MJ. You guys should come to brunch.”

"I'll poke Eshe and see if she's ready to leave the apartment.”

There was shrieking when MJ arrived, and she and Eshe did a round of hugging. They went to brunch and the women did most of the talking. Nate was content to rest his hand on her knee and think about how much his life had flipped around.

"Do you want to go see where I grew up?" he asked her as they walked back to the Tower. "Before we go somewhere warm?”

_It’s 83 at your parents house,_ Hiro told him. _I think that qualifies as warm._

"Hiro informs me it's warm there but I don't think Minnesota is what you meant when you said somewhere warm.”

“I would love to go see you family, Nate.”

He tucked his arm around her waist. "I'll call mom tonight.”

She put her head on his shoulder. “What are you going to tell her?”

"You've taken a leave of absence and are considering taking a job with the Avengers.”

“Sounds about right, for what they need to know.”

"Yeah. I figure the rest of it can come later.”

His mother insisted they come for the 4th of July, as they’d already been planning to spend the week on their favorite lake. When Eshe had gone swimming in the Tower pool, she’d worn only the bottom half of a bikini, because Wakandan women swam topless and she thought Americans’ obsession with breasts was ridiculous. But in deference to his family, she went and bought one with a top.

It wasn’t the fancy vacation he’d originally imagined, but she was at home in a woodsy environment and completely immune to mosquitos. And it was the kind of vacation he’d imagined, when growing up, that he’d take his own family on.

“I’m glad she came back,” his mother said to him one night, sitting on the cabin porch. Eshe was out in the lake showing his father and Jake how to fish with a spear. Neither of them had the reflexes for it, but they enjoyed watching and ‘helping’.

"So am I," he said quietly, sipping a beer.

“She’s the one, eh?”

He nodded. "She is. It's never felt like this before.”

His mother nodded. “I could see that when I met her.”

Nate chuckled. "You were always very smart, mom.”

“I always knew you would find someone extraordinary. Given that you are.”

"She managed to not be a felon, though.”

She laughed. “You’ve got time.”

"That's true. Someone could absolutely piss her off that bad.”

They were quiet a bit, then she said, “I’ve never been to a Wakandan wedding.”

"God Mom, were you always this subtle?”

“That woman gave up what I understand to be an extremely prestigious job and moved to a different country for you. The least you could do is marry her.”

He chuckled. "Yes, well. I don't know much about the ceremony itself. But I have made arrangements to give her a dog when we get back to New York." She gave him an odd look. "It's traditional to give the bride livestock as part of the engagement. As I don't want to own a goat. . .”

“I’ve heard they smell,” she said in agreement. “Congratulations. I promise not to pester you about grandchildren until I turn 60.”

Nate hid a smirk in taking another swig of beer. "I appreciate your restraint.”

“I am really very happy for you, Nate.”

"Thanks Mom." He leaned over and put his head on her shoulder briefly. "She makes me very happy.”

“Good. You deserve a happy ending.”

"It's even better," he told her. "It's a happy beginning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one chapter left after this. Sniffle.


	17. Chapter 17

The first week in September, Eshe got to hear her daughter’s heartbeat for the first time. Tess had done a full genetic scan and pronounced the embryo completely healthy, and also female. They hadn’t wanted to go back to Wakanda until they were reasonably confident this was sticking. 

Now they were on a very long flight to Africa. “My family is very loud and there are a lot of them.”

"Goodness, I have no idea what that's like, however will I survive?”

“Your people are not this loud. And they’ll be loud in a language you don’t understand. I’m just warning you. Also, I good half of them have never seen a white person _in_ person, and will probably be weird. I told my brothers not to punch you.”

"You know, Hiro knows Wakandan and can translate pretty quickly for me.”

She looked over at him. “Well now I really apologize for them.”

He grinned. "Don't tell them. It'll be funny.”

“Do you have any more chips?” She had not, so far, been sick. She was, however, ravenously hungry all the time.

Nate handed over another bag. "Tess shoved a bunch of granola bars into my bag, too.”

“Apparently I’m building organs.”

"And a nervous system.”

As far as she could tell, Hiro was providing him with a running commentary of pregnancy information. If there was a question she had, or even thought about having, Likely Nate would have the answer. It was kind of handy. “I promise to eat some healthier food when we get on the ground.” Her mother was probably already cooking.

"I've heard enough horror stories from Stark to just be happy you're eating at all.”

“Just as long as you promise not to fret the entire pregnancy.”

"I am not prone to fretting. I trust what you and Tess say. So far both you and she are healthy. That's good enough for me.”

“Is it good enough for Hiro?”

He made his face. "Hiro respects science. As long as the tests say she's good, he's good." Hiro, was very protective of his little niece.

It was nighttime when they landed in Wakanda. Her parents came to pick them up, and were surprisingly restrained, which Eshe was grateful for. She was exhausted, and fell asleep on Nate’s shoulder during the drive. She hoped they didn’t interrogate him.

She woke up to him lifting her out of the car. He noticed her eyes open and smile, but didn't offer to put her down. Eshe decided to allow it. She was pregnant and tired and this way she wouldn’t have to talk. She barely remembered getting to her room and getting tucked into bed. It was bright and sunny when she woke in the morning.

She was very surprised to find she was alone. And even more surprised to hear laughter coming from the kitchen when she ventured out. She followed the sound, very cautiously.

"And she told us her name was Darcy Bennet and getting things done was her super power," Nate was saying. "And none of us knew what to do with this information.”

He was sitting at the kitchen table, telling her mother and two of her aunts what sounded like his life story.

"So they took good care of you?" Aunt Cebisa asked, sipping her coffee.

"Yeah. Much better than we had before. Darcy found us places to stay and a couple weeks later we moved into the Tower and the rest of them showed up. Took some of us longer to warm up than others, but it was pretty clear the team had our best interests at heart.”

“Eshe,” her mother called, having noticed her in the doorway. “You’re up. Are you hungry?”

“I am honestly the hungriest person on earth lately.”

"Come sit, I'll bring you some food."

Nate half stood to pull out her chair. "Sleep well?”

“I did.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I see you’ve made some friends.”

"I am very charming, you know.”

Her mother put a plate overflowing with fruit in front of her. “I talked to people who know about this sort of thing. It’s important you eat produce grown in Wakandan soil. I’m going to be shipping it to you.”

Eshe laughed, digging in. “Thanks, Mama.” Dr. Newbury-Barnes, who had worked for years with a Wakandan team studying the nature and transferability of their people’s enhancements, had told Eshe that the vast majority of the genetic modifications were just that, and in a part of the cells passed from mother to child. The food and environment helped the Americans who’d lived here, but Eshe’s children would be as strong as her, no matter what she ate. But she wasn’t going to turn down her mother mailing her melons.

"I've talked her into sending extra to bribe Darcy with," Nate told her.

“So, when is your meeting with the General?” Mama asked.

“This afternoon.”

“Oh, good. We won’t have to reschedule the party.”

She lifted her head to give her mother a look. “Party?”

"To welcome Nate to the family.”

She turned back towards him and raised an eyebrow in question. He held up his hands. "Wasn't my idea, I'm just along for the ride.”

Eshe ate more fruit before replying. “If the meeting goes well, we can have the party.”

Her mother and aunts exchanged glances. "Are you expecting to be jailed?"

"I did not come prepared for a jail break," Nate said around a mouthful of fruit.

“You didn’t bring your suit?”

"Not the fighting one.”

Eshe sighed. “It’s fine, I’m sure it will be fine.”

"The General is not an ogre," her mother said, kissing her forehead. "She'll probably congratulate you on the baby.”

Nate wanted to come with her on her trip into the city, for moral support at least, but she told him no. This was something she had to do on her own.

The General's secretary let her in promptly. The leader of the Dora didn't spend much time in her office, and when she did she went through her appointments promptly and swiftly. She greeted Eshe warmly with small talk about her flight and time off.

“I have some things I’d like to discuss with you,” Eshe stared. “Now that the Prince has started his training.” 

“I’ve been waiting for you to come home, I’ve already got your next assignment lined up.”

Eshe sighed, thinking this was about to get profoundly awkward. She reminded herself it didn’t matter if it was a crappy assignment, and she should not let her ego get involved. “You do?”

"Yes. You'll be guarding the Wakandan Embassy in the United States." She made a sympathetic face. "I know DC is not New York, but it was the closest we could do.”

Stunned, for a moment all Eshe could do was stare. And then be honest. “What happened to ‘irresponsible’ and ‘unprofessional’?”

The General leaned back in her chair. “Prince Azari came to see me before he went into the jungle.” She paused. “And then Princess Shuri came to see me after. You have quite a few fans, it seems. It made me realize I was letting my own past cloud my judgement of the present. Including that I gave you an assignment with absolutely no down time—of course you had to conduct your personal life on the clock. And we have never expected the Dora Milaje to have no feelings.”

Eshe shook her head and chuckled. “Well, thank you very much for that.”

"As I said, it was the closest we could do. And an assignment at your level of experience.”

“But I am going to have to turn it down.” Now she almost felt bad having to do this. “As it happens, I am pregnant.”

There was a pause, then the General grinned widely. "Goodness, what a convenient accident.”

“I feel like I should apologize now.”

She shook her head. "Not at all. A Dora is trained to find solutions to their problems.”

“My mother promised me this was reasonably common and non-dramatic situation.” 

"A fair assessment. You're certainly not the first and assuredly not the last. I'll see that you're properly discharged. And congratulate you on your happy news. Do you know boy or girl yet?”

She found herself grinning. “It’s a girl.”

The General smiled widely. "My congratulations again. May Bast smile on your family.”

Eshe felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “Thank you so much.”

"You're welcome. Do not forget to send me baby pictures.”

She took the train back home. Nate insisted on meeting her at the station, and he was on the platform when she got off—though when the train pulled up, he was in the middle of letting people take selfies with him. People did that back in New York because he was famous, though she was sure that in this case it was just because because of the novelty of a white dude. Like a tourist attraction. He was a good sport in any case. This morning he’d let her little cousins color on him with markers.

He waved when he saw her and his fans separated as she approached. "Hello love," he said, tucking his arms around her. "Did you know I am dangerously pale?”

“I had noticed that, yes.” She kissed him. “We’re all good,” she said. “Paperwork will be handled. We are free to get married.” Grinning, he tightened his arms and swung her in a circle. She pressed her face into his shoulder and said, “I am really happy right now.”

"Me too." He kissed her shoulder. "I love you.”

“I am also, suddenly, really nauseous.”

He promptly put her down. "Can you make it home?”

“How about we walk really slowly?”

"I can do that.”

“Come on,” she said, sliding her hand into his. “Let’s go start our life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last one we have currently written for the Next Gen stories, though we do have some more things in our head. We'll have some other things up within the next week, and we are working on something else new that we think fans of the Tales series will enjoy. Thanks for reading!


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